Exploration in Nevervale is a gamble. Every time.
You're standing at the edge of the known map. Beyond is... nothing. Just the unexplored darkness. You spend your action point, draw a tile from the Explore Deck, and place it.
What you get is random. Could be a Pure forest - safe, resources, maybe a discovery. Could be a Corrupted wasteland crawling with monsters. You won't know until you flip it.
New tiles must connect to at least two edges of existing tiles. Not one. Two. This prevents those long snaking corridors you see in some exploration games. Instead, the map grows outward in an organic, territory-like shape. It feels like you're reclaiming a region, not walking a hallway.
Then comes the encounter.
Corrupted tile? Draw from the Threat Deck. Monsters spawn on your tile. Combat begins immediately.
Pure tile? Draw from the Discovery Deck. You might find an Ancient Cache with supplies. A Survivor in Hiding who joins your settlement. A Forgotten Shrine that heals the party.
From the Exploration Rules
"The Explore Deck contains all tiles for your current quest, including the objective tile! You never know what you'll find."
That objective tile - the one you need to complete the quest - it's shuffled in with everything else. Sometimes you find it on the second draw. Sometimes it's the last tile in the deck. The uncertainty is intentional.
Do you rush to find the objective? Or methodically clear and cleanse every tile along the way? Both strategies have costs. Both have rewards.
That's Nevervale. Every step forward is a choice.