The Mound Contracts and Extraction Guide

Quick Answer

Treat every The Mound: Omen of Cthulhu contract as three connected decisions: complete the main objective, return enough treasure quota, and choose a destination and loadout that let the team survive extraction. Read the supplied equipment and Boss field before boarding, use Mission Information during the run, store Logbooks and high-tier idols in Father Escalona’s ox-wagon, and leave once the objective and quota are secure.

Full-Release Value Note

The values in this guide are specific full-release examples, not one universal range for every contract.

The tested opening route included:

• a tutorial expedition requiring at least 540 value;
• an early Treasure Hunt requiring 920 value;
• a story Finding the Logbook card requiring 1,050 treasure, with 16 Tokens and 500 XP listed as its reward.

Older Demo routes showed different targets such as 1,296, 1,620, and 1,750. That does not mean one version is automatically wrong. Contract value changes with the mission card, progression stage, variant, and difficulty.

Read the Contract as Four Separate Fields

A contract is more than its title.

It tells you:

1. what the expedition must accomplish;
2. what resources or treasure must return;
3. what shared equipment the party receives;
4. whether the route forces a named Boss.

The contract title can be misleading if you stop reading too early.

A treasure contract can contain a Lost Survivor opportunity on its destination card. A story Logbook contract can still require substantial treasure. A contract with a dramatic name does not necessarily force a Boss unless the card says so.

Current Contract Examples

The exact pool can change between contract variants, but current full-release cards show how different the preparation can be.

These examples are useful because the equipment pool reveals the intended pressure.

If a contract supplies four sets of armor and several recovery items, I expect sustained danger. If it gives mostly ranged weapons and ammunition, I assign those weapons before anyone fills their inventory with duplicates. If the pool is weak, I shorten the destination instead of assuming the contract will become easier after landing.

The Destination Can Add a Second Opportunity

After choosing the contract, inspect the destination separately.

A destination card can show:

• region name;
• distance or proximity to the Mound;
• arrival time;
• expected weather;
• a fort or known landmark;
• a reported Lost Survivor;
• whether the region has already been explored.

One tested Treasure Hunt destination near the Mound also reported a Lost Survivor. The selected contract was still about treasure, but the destination added a progression opportunity.

That changed my priorities:

• leave enough inventory and recovery capacity for the rescue;
• do not spend the whole route collecting low-tier objects first;
• secure the survivor before extending beyond the safe return window;
• remember that the treasure quota still remains.

Use Mission Information Instead of Rebuilding the Quota in Your Head

Mission Information is the authoritative run-state check.

Use it after:

• securing the main objective;
• storing a high-tier Metal Idol;
• clearing a major treasure room;
• rescuing a survivor;
• consuming or dropping supplies;
• considering another distant path;
• preparing to call the wagon back.

Some pickups have uncertain value during the expedition. That is why I do not calculate the entire quota from a memorized loot table. The exact value tiers help with prioritization, but Mission Information decides whether the current run is actually ready.

Use one extraction framework throughout the page:

This replaces several smaller versions of the same 2×2 table. Every contract decision should return to this one framework.

Current Metal Idol and Treasure Values

Metal Idols are not all worth the same amount.

Current full-release data places them into clear color and tier bands:

Other useful numeric anchors include:

• Bottle of Wine: 300;
• Huemul Meat: 100;
• Music Tablet: 75;
• Patron Saint figure: 75;
• Firewood: 10;
• ordinary mushrooms: generally 3–4.

This shows why “pick up everything” is a poor storage policy.

One purple idol at 450 is worth as much as 150 ordinary 3-value mushrooms. When wagon or personal inventory space becomes tight, prioritize by value and contract importance rather than by how many objects are nearby.

What Goes Into the Ox-Wagon First

The ox-wagon is the team’s contract bank.

I use one storage order:

1. Main objective, including the Fort Logbook or cylinder.
2. Lost Survivor or transported body.
3. Highest-tier treasure.
4. Recovery and contract tools that the team may need on the return.
5. Food and supplies worth bringing back.
6. Spare weapons, ammunition, and armor.
7. Low-value objects only when space and time allow.

This order does not need a second table elsewhere in the page.

The important distinction is between progression value and sell value. A Fort Logbook is listed at zero sell value, but losing it can stop the story and region unlock. A 700-value orange idol has enormous quota value but does not unlock a new destination.

The wagon needs both.

Treasure Contracts

A basic treasure contract is the cleanest place to learn quota control.

My route is:

1. inspect the supplied equipment;
2. choose a destination with manageable conditions;
3. keep room for high-tier idols;
4. store the first meaningful treasure haul;
5. check Mission Information;
6. stop opening distant branches when the quota is safe.

Treasure contracts are not map-clearing contracts.

The presence of a 1,000-value Tier 6 idol or 700-value orange idol makes this even clearer. A single strong pickup can turn a long loot route into a short extraction route.

The correct response to a major find is not:

“Now we can afford to take more risks.”

It is:

“How much of the quota does this remove, and can we leave sooner?”

Finding the Logbook

A Fort Logbook has progression value rather than normal sell value.

It can:

• complete the named objective;
• record the region;
• unlock another destination;
• open later contracts;
• move the expedition toward the Mound.

The Logbook route is therefore:

1. identify the correct fort or landmark;
2. use an Area Map on an unfamiliar destination;
3. find and store the Logbook;
4. check Mission Information;
5. collect only the remaining nearby quota;
6. return before the completed progression item is lost.

Do not carry the Logbook on the player exploring the next branch. Put it in the wagon immediately.

The Beginner Guide contains the full first-hour route and the detailed Solo failure example. This page only needs the contract conclusion:

A Logbook and completed quota are still not banked until the expedition reaches Finish Expedition.

Lost Survivors

A Lost Survivor may be the contract objective or an additional destination opportunity.

Returning one can expand the Tempestad crew and add another playable explorer. That gives the survivor value beyond the current reward screen.

When I see the opportunity:

• I preserve recovery capacity before landing;
• I avoid filling the wagon with low-tier clutter first;
• I shorten the remaining treasure route after securing the survivor;
• I do not assume meeting quota removes the need to return the rescue safely.

The rescue changes the contract because it adds a fragile progression objective. Treating it like optional side loot is how a strong run becomes an escort failure.

Hunt and Forced-Boss Contracts

Check the Boss field rather than relying on the title.

One Hundred Legs is a Mid contract that explicitly forces the Parasite encounter. Its supplied pool includes melee weapons, firearms, a Longbow, ammunition, healing, light, and Ammonia Salts.

That is a different route from a Basic treasure contract.

For a forced Boss:

• divide ranged ammunition before boarding;
• keep Ammonia Salts with a player who is not leading the first attack;
• store unrelated treasure before starting the encounter;
• check weapon and armor condition afterward;
• extract instead of turning the completed hunt into another loot circuit.

Not every Mid contract forces a Boss. Mysterious Artifact, for example, focuses on returning a dark metal cylinder and can appear with several different equipment variants.

Difficulty tier and Boss status are connected fields, not synonyms.

Rank and XP: The Long-Term Map

Successful expeditions award XP, and the points carry between runs.

Current data contains 30 explorer Rank entries, ending at Legendary Explorer. Higher Rank opens access to stronger weapons, later contracts, and permanent perks such as inventory capacity, revival strength, isolation resistance, and weapon handling.

This page does not need all 30 rows, but it should show the size of the progression.

Rank should affect contract selection, but it should not encourage reckless grinding.

A clean Basic or Mid success gives XP. A failed Advanced expedition gives no useful progression simply because the card looked more impressive.

Patron Saints Are Part of Contract Preparation

Patron Saints are recovered in the jungle and carved by the ship’s carpenter. Before an expedition, choose a Saint at the ox-wagon and pay its Token cost to carry the blessing.

This is not a separate Wiki page requirement for this cluster. The contract-level decision is enough:

Choose the Saint after reading the contract pool.

Saint George is wasted on a Bow-heavy card. Saint Barbara is less useful when the route supplies no firearm. Dymphna or Raphael may provide more value than extra damage when the destination is long and unfamiliar.

Artifacts and Tools Worth Planning Around

Artifacts are not generic “special equipment.” Each one solves a particular contract problem.

This is where Tokens become a contract decision.

Do not buy the Mask because it is the most expensive item. Buy it only when temporary concealment solves the route and the team understands the friendly-fire risk. Do not buy the Medallion on a contract whose main problem is finding a fort rather than finding treasure.

Solo Contract Planning

The full Solo Bot behavior belongs in the Beginner Guide.

For contract selection, only three conclusions matter:

• the Bot can fight, pick up some objects, and attempt revives;
• it does not reliably manage the objective or full wagon;
• it cannot rescue a route that has already stayed too long.

My Solo progression remains:

1. manageable Basic treasure contract;
2. familiar-region Logbook;
3. Lost Survivor opportunity on a controlled destination;
4. Mid contract after navigation and extraction are consistent;
5. forced Boss or Advanced contract after testing its equipment pool.

Solo difficulty should change the route length, not only the number of enemies you expect to fight.

Extraction Is the Final Contract Requirement

Quota met does not mean the expedition is complete.

The objective and wagon still need to reach the return point, and the team must use Finish Expedition.

Most extraction failures come from one of these decisions:

• the Logbook stayed on a separated player;
• quota was met, so the team opened another long path;
• the survivor was found after supplies were already exhausted;
• a forced Boss was defeated, then the group resumed normal looting;
• high-tier treasure was carried instead of stored;
• navigation was ignored until the forest became hostile;
• the contract equipment pool was divided without preserving recovery.

Do not create a separate table repeating the objective-versus-quota framework. Return to the Extraction Decision Table above.

Contract Troubleshooting

What to Read Next

Use the Beginner Guide for the first expedition, six-slot inventory, shared gear, Tokens, weapon upgrades, Rank basics, and full Solo Bot behavior.

Use the Sanity and Survival Guide for hallucinations, corrupted teammates, false Bots, Centipedes, bleeding, revives, rain, durability, traps, and forest awakening.

Return to the The Mound Guide Hub for the complete progression map.