Final Fantasy VII Rebirth has 10 Excavation Intel Locations. They are part of the 169 World Intel collectibles. Finding all World Intel is required to craft all Materia from Chadley for the Materia Completionist trophy. The Excavations are unlocked after doing the Expedition Intel Lifesprings in their respective region. Every 2 Lifesprings unlocks either an Excavation or Classified Intel.
The Exacvations require the Chocobo. Enter the Excavation Site on the chocobo, when a blue question mark appears hold D-Pad Up and tilt the right stick in the indicated direction. This will show a blue scent line. Follow the scent line to the end and press D-Pad Down to dig up the treasure. If there are obstacles in the way (such as walls) you will need to sniff again to see the rest of the scent line.
Nothing is missable, everything can still be completed via Chapter Select which is unlocked after the story. If collecting via Chapter Select it’s best to do everything in Chapter 13 because you have access to everything in the open world at this point.
Region Select:
For all other types of World Intel refer to Final Fantasy VII Rebirth World Intel Guide.
Grasslands Region
Excavation Intel 1: Bygone Settlement
Unlocked after collecting Expedition Intel 1+2 in Grasslands. Ride your chocobo through the area until you see a blue “?” icon above its head. Then hold 
and tilt the right stick in the direction indicated on the screen (or simply do a 360° turn). Then your chocobo will mark a blue scent line, follow it to the treasure. If there are obstacles in the way like walls, you may need to repeat this until you reach the end of the blue scent line. Then press 
to dig up the treasure. There are 3 treasures total.
Excavation Intel 2: Pipeline Depository
Unlocked after collecting Expedition Intel 1-6 in Grasslands. Ride your chocobo through the area until you see a blue “?” icon above its head. Then hold and tilt the right stick in the direction indicated on the screen (or simply do a 360° turn). Then your chocobo will mark a blue scent line, follow it to the treasure. If there are obstacles in the way like walls, you may need to repeat this until you reach the end of the blue scent line. Then press to dig up the treasure. There are 3 treasures total.
Junon Region
Excavation Intel 3: The Scars of War
Unlocked from completing Expedition Intel 1+2 in Junon. Enter the Excavation area, ride your chocobo, hold when a blue “?” icon appears, then tilt the right stick in the indicated direction to see the scent line. Follow the scent line to the end and hold to dig up the treasure, repeat for all 3 treasures.
Corel Region
Excavation Intel 4: Valve Factory Ruins
Unlocked after finding Expedition Intel 1+2 in Corel. Ride your chocobo, hold when the blue “?” icon appears, turn in the indicated direction and follow the scent, dig up the treasure with .
Excavation Intel 5: Deserted Village
Unlocked after finding Expedition Intel 1-4 in Corel. Ride your chocobo, hold when the blue “?” icon appears, turn in the indicated direction and follow the scent, dig up the treasure with .
Gongaga Region
Excavation Intel 6: Mako-Laden Canyon
Unlocked after finding Expedition Intel 1+2 in Gongaga. This is accessible in the lower area of Gongaga, you can climb down the rope to the north to reach it. You must dig up two treasures, one is at the cave entrance on the left, the other is in the cave on the left next to a torch. You must ride the chocobo, hold and look in the direction indicated on the screen, then follow the scent trail and dig up the treasure with .
Excavation Intel 7: Wildgrove Ruins
Unlocked after finding Expedition Intel 1-6 in Gongaga. You must dig up 3 treasures using the chocobo. One is in the first ruin on the left, which also has an enemy inside. One is in the back left corner of the area, behind the ruins by some bushes. One is on the right side, upstairs in a ruin. You must go around the ruin to find the stairs on the back.
Cosmo Canyon Region
Excavation Intel 8: Dilapidated Ship
Unlocked after Expedition Intel 1+2 in Cosmo Canyon. Approach the area while sitting on your chocobo, when the blue “?” icon appears hold and tilt the right stick in the shown direction to sniff out the treasure. Follow the scent line and hold to dig it up. There are 3 treasures total. The first is at a cactus in the north-east corner of the search area, the second is in the middle of the area next to a palm tree, the third is uphill inside the stranded ship.
Excavation Intel 9: Cosmo Range Ruins
Unlocked after Expedition Intel 1-4 in Cosmo Canyon. Found on the same plateau as Activation Intel 6 (be sure to unlock Activation Intel 6 first so you can fast travel there). There are 3 treasures total – one is on the roof in the first ruins on the right, one is behind the first ruins on the right at the bottom, one is in the first ruins on the left on the upper floor.
Nibel Region
Excavation Intel 10: Island Base
Unlocked from doing Expedition Intel 1+2 in Nibel. This dig site has 3 treasures to dig up. As usual you must ride your chocobo, hold when the blue “?” icon appears and look in the indicated direction, then follow the scent line. One treasure is in the south of the island on a small hill with an old tree on it. One is in the bunker in the north of the island (two enemies in there, must defeat them first). One is on the bunker uphill, you must fly up there using the chocobo’s water jets ( 
), via the wall that has green foilage on it.
Meridian Ocean Region
No Excavation Intel in this region.
That’s 100% of the Exacavation Intel in Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth.
For more Collectible Guides, check out the complete Final Fantasy VII Rebirth World Intel Guide.
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