The weekly Gauntlet, and how to survive it
No Gatekeeper at the end. Instead the elevator waits for a kill count you have to reach while the floor keeps spawning.
Do not enter a Gauntlet before your first Ascension, because the lobby will refuse you. Treat Expenite as a combat pickup, hit the bonus kill count to unlock the Workbench, and expect the last level to be a straight damage race.
The Gauntlet is the mode that stops being about exploration. Seven levels, constant spawns, a kill count instead of a Gatekeeper, and a seed that changes weekly. The mode is locked until you Ascend once.
Two tiers exist: the Standard Gauntlet and the Advanced Gauntlet. Both are pre-seeded and difficulty-locked, so the run you get is the run everyone got this week.
Scoring a run
Each of the first six levels has two thresholds: one kill count opens the elevator, and a higher one unlocks the Workbench or Bio-Booster at the start of the next level. The seventh level has no Gatekeeper, just a kill count that calls the drop pod.
| Component | Rule | Consequence |
|---|---|---|
| Levels | 7 per run | Longest single sitting in the game |
| Objective | Kill count, not a boss | Damage output beats tactics |
| Bonus threshold | Higher kill count | Unlocks next-level Workbench or Bio-Booster |
| Timer | Runs out = failure | Leaving late is the same as wiping |
| Rewards | Once per Gauntlet | Replaying pays nothing extra |
Mechanics from the official wiki, checked 2026-11-15. Large enemies count as two kills, and boomticks count as zero.
How it differs from a mission
Swarms do not arrive on a timer. They arrive constantly, which means there is no downtime to heal, regroup or mine in peace. Expenite gets mined during fights or not at all.
Upgrades also work differently: E.L.I.S. does not let you upgrade mid-level. At the end of each level the upgrade screen opens automatically, and the Workbench and Bio-Booster sit in the elevator, gated behind the bonus kill count.
Two difficulty anchors
| Achievement | Requirement | Unlock rate |
|---|---|---|
| Doesn't Afraid of Anything | Survive a standard weekly Gauntlet | 6.7% |
| Gauntlet Legend | Beat an extra-spicy weekly Gauntlet | 3.0% |
Rates are Steam global unlocks, checked 2026-11-15. For comparison, 3.6% have killed Balgorath, so the hardest Gauntlet tier is rarer than the hardest boss.
First-attempt plan
- Ascend once first. The lobby will refuse you otherwise, which the patch notes fixed as a filter rather than a bug.
- Pick the class you have the most hours on, not the one with the best Gauntlet reputation.
- Take the bonus kill threshold on early levels. The Workbench unlock compounds, and skipping it costs the run later.
- Treat the timer as the only real enemy. If it is critical and the elevator is open, leave.
- Accept that the first attempt is a scouting run. Learn the kill curve, then come back next week with the new seed.
Where the mode pays off
The Gauntlet is where Merits and Scrip come from after the Directives dry up, and it is the only place that tests sustained damage instead of exploration. Builds that keep falling apart at Depth 4 get an explanation in about fifteen minutes here.