8 Bit Tower Defense Expedition Guide: One Squad, Three Worlds, a Relic After Every Win

Expedition is one of the standalone modes in 8 Bit Tower Defense, and the developer's official game description sums up its entire format in a single line: "one squad, three worlds, pick a Relic after every win." That line is the confirmed core of the mode, and everything a run asks of you follows from those three rules.

What the three run rules mean

One squad. A run uses a single squad, so the best team guide is the natural place to start when deciding who to bring.

Three worlds. An Expedition run spans three worlds, not just one map. For scale, the game's story content covers six worlds, from Greenfield Outpost to the Hollow King's Ashen Citadel, with each world split into six acts — so Expedition sits well below the full campaign in length while still crossing multiple settings.

A Relic after every win. Each win in the run is followed by a Relic pick, so a single Expedition chains several of these choices together. The official description states the rule but not the Relic pool or their effects; the relics guide covers Relics in detail.

Where to find Expedition

Expedition has its own entry on the Play menu, listed alongside the game's other modes. Each mode in that menu carries a status line, observed verbatim:

The Expedition entry also displays the text "Reach World 2 Act 4". The neighboring modes use that same slot for their requirements — Raids points at clearing Ashen Citadel, Challenges at reaching World 1 Act 6. What Expedition's own label means — a progress goal, an unlock requirement or simply a status line — is not stated in the mode's description, so treat it as the menu's pointer for the mode rather than a confirmed gate.

How Expedition fits among the game's modes

The official description places Expedition in a lineup that also includes the six story worlds, Normal, Nightmare and Legend difficulties, co-op raids for up to 4 players (Rift Gate, Coral Cove and Eclipse Spire), Infinite mode and rotating challenges. The core loop is the same everywhere — "Place your units, upgrade them, unleash their abilities and take down every boss" — and Expedition is the format that compresses it into one squad across three worlds with a Relic decision after each win. Story mode instead walks the six worlds act by act, and raids are the co-op option for up to four players.

If you are still learning the game's basics, the how to play guide covers placement, upgrading and abilities, and the game modes overview compares every mode side by side.