Excavation contains two tasks, first you need to find the dig site with the help of the Antiquarian’s Eye, and secondly you have to excavate it.
Antiquarian's Eye
Very important, make sure to quickslot the “Antiquarian’s Eye” that you got when you received the skill-lines. Because once you are inside the search area, you can simply use this item to show you which way you have to go, it will lead you directly to the loot.
Excavate Loot
Once you are in the excavation window, you have a few skills that you can use to your advantage. There is an Augur, Hand Brush, Heavy Shovel and a Trowel.
The Augur skill Indicates how near the Antiquity is to the selected location.
- Red = Far far away
- Orange = Far away
- Yellow = Close
- Green = Right here!
The Hand Brush skill removes a single layer of soil or rock while excavating. Also generates Intuition, allowing for more advanced digging techniques such as the Trowel and Heavy Shovel.
The Trowel removes a deep but narrow portion of soil and rock while excavating.
The Heavy Shovel skill removes a full layer of dirt and rocks within a large area. The shovel only affects a single contiguous height of dirt and rocks.
Best way to Excavate?
The easiest way to find the proper location is to use the Augur in all four corners and the middle, that way you should pretty much find more or less the location you are looking for because you cover most of the area.
Once
you have placed the Augur in all corners and the middle you will
notice that one of the areas is not red. That way you can ensure the
treasure must be in that area. Now you can use the Augur again to find
the sweet spot in that area.
Digging
Once you uncovered the area, you can start digging. Use the Hand Brush first to remove layers that are not equal, once they are all the same height you can use the Heavy Shovel to remove a lot of dirt at once.
Loot!
After you uncovered the Antiquity, the whole process will finish. Sometimes you will get another lead right away that you can use to continue the adventure. Often you will also find bonus loot that you can sell at the vendor for decent money.
