An expedition can return with additional ships. The default event weight is 18, or about 16.07% of the built-in total weight of 112.
How does this expedition outcome work?
When a Ships event is rolled, the game selects 1–3 ship types from types already present in the sent fleet. For each selected type, the base find is roughly 10–60% of the number of that ship type sent.
What are the default parameters?
The expedition bonus is then applied, and the minimum result for a selected type is 1 ship. Fleet composition therefore directly controls which ship types are eligible to be found.
What determines the result?
Sending many units of one type increases the possible find for that type, but also puts more of those units at risk from negative expedition events.
How should you use this in practice?
Default event weights are only the built-in starting configuration. An administrator can change them, so the real frequency in your universe can differ from percentages calculated from the default total weight of 112.
What should you watch out for?
Do not treat a single expedition as a guaranteed return on investment. The outcome is random, and even a positive event can be limited by fleet parameters, bonuses or free cargo space.
Related FAQ: Which ship types can an expedition find? · Does expedition reward use ship value or ship count?