Expedition Into Darkness Party Planner

Co-op is the headline fantasy of Expedition Into Darkness: form a party with up to four allies, or dare the ruins alone. Five warm bodies without roles is still a wipe waiting to happen. This planner gives you role cards for 2–5 players, plus solo notes, so someone always owns navigation, frontline pressure, utility, loot discipline, and the extract call. Use it with the Loadout Planner and Extraction Checklist, then reinforce habits through Guides and route awareness on the Map hub.

Remember the stakes: permanent character death deletes the character and carried loot; camp stash stays safe. The game remains upcoming with a planned Q4 2026 Steam release and periodic playtests—roles below are process frameworks, not locked class names. For tone and feature overview, see the Game Overview. For test weekends, read the Playtest Guide.

Core responsibilities (every squad)

Responsibility	Job in one line	Failure mode
Leader / extract caller	Sets objective and when to leave	Endless greed, no abort
Scout / navigator	Finds paths, marks hazards, tracks exits	Party lost in loops
Frontline	Holds chokes, draws melee attention	Backline swarmed
Support / utility	Tools, light, heals, door solutions	Soft wipes from attrition
Loot lead	Enforces bag priority and stash plan	Full bags, missed keys

In small groups, players stack multiple rows. That is fine—just say the stack out loud.

Solo (1 player)

You wear every hat. Compensate with stricter rules:

1. Choose a conservative run type (material farm or scout).
2. Pack a melee-capable kit even if you love bows.
3. Set an earlier extract threshold than a full squad would.
4. Never enter a new wing at low stamina or low heals.
5. After each death lesson, update your Loadout Planner notes—not your ego.

Solo is viable for learning layouts tied to Map observations, but co-op is where the design breathes.

Duo (2 players)

Role	Player A	Player B
Default split	Leader + Frontline	Scout + Support + Loot lead
Alternate split	Leader + Scout	Frontline + Support
Comms rule	Call every room enter/exit	Confirm bag % every two rooms

Duo tips: Stay within one room. One player never silent-loots while the other fights. If a revive looks dirty, abort early—two-person recoveries spiral fast.

Trio (3 players)

Seat	Primary	Secondary
1	Leader / Frontline	Loot discipline
2	Scout / Navigator	Ranged poke
3	Support / Utility	Rear watch on extract

Trios are the sweet spot for teaching new players: Seat 3 can overpack consumables while Seat 2 explains layouts referencing Guides habits.

Quad (4 players)

Seat	Role	Loadout bias
1	Leader / extract caller	Reliable mid weapon, clear voice
2	Frontline	Melee pressure, denser armor
3	Scout	Light kit, tools, mapping focus
4	Support	Heals, light, trap solutions

Loot lead can sit on Seat 1 or 4. Avoid four DPS clones. Use Builds later to diversify without inventing fake meta tiers.

Full squad (5 players)

Seat	Role	Focus
1	Leader	Objective + extract law
2	Frontline A	Primary choke
3	Frontline B / flex	Flank cover or second melee
4	Scout	Routes, hazards, exit memory
5	Support	Consumables, revive enablement, rear guard

Five players create traffic jams. March order matters: Scout slightly ahead, frontline at the throat of doorways, support in the middle, leader where they can see both fight and bag state. On extract, Seat 5 watches the rear while Seat 4 confirms the path.

Role cards (copy/paste)

Leader: “Objective is ___. Extract when ___. I call aborts.”

Scout: “I mark traps, gas, unstable ground, and exits. If I say hold, hold.”

Frontline: “I take space. Tell me if something flanks. I do not chase into fog.”

Support: “I track heals and tools. Ping me before you force a door or revive.”

Loot lead: “Rares and keys first. Commons only with free slots. Camp stash after extract.”

Comms script (60 seconds at camp)

1. Party size and voice check.
2. Run type from the Loadout Planner table.
3. Role seats assigned.
4. Extract rule locked.
5. One backup plan if Scout goes down.
6. Reminder: playtest builds may change combat timing—call what you see, not what last week’s clip showed.

Then run Phase A of the Extraction Checklist.

Conflict resolution

Argument	Resolve by
”One more room” vs. extract	Pre-written extract rule wins
Two players want the same relic	Loot lead decides; trade at camp
Scout and leader disagree on route	Leader owns objective; Scout owns hazard veto
Someone goes silent	Pause at next doorway; fix voice before advancing

Teaching a new ally

1. Send them Getting Started and System Requirements.
2. Give them Support or secondary Frontline—not first-time Scout on a deep push.
3. Use a teaching run type with extra consumables.
4. Afterward, walk the debrief lines on the checklist page.
5. Point them at Playtest Guide if you are on a limited alpha window.

Tie-ins across the wiki

• Tools Hub for all planners
• Builds for kit archetypes
• Map for spatial habits
• Updates and Release Timeline for where the project sits on the road to Q4 2026
• Game Overview for the fantasy you are coordinating around

Clear roles make expeditions feel like a crew, not a traffic accident. Assign seats, pack kits that match those seats, and let the extract call be boringly consistent. That is how camp upgrades accumulate instead of graveyards.