What is the Path of Exile 2 endgame? The Path of Exile 2 endgame gives you access to a sprawling map called Atlas, and it’s your job to cleanse the corruption across the land, starting at a temple in the center of Atlas called Ziggurat. From there, you can open portals using Waystones and select a tier to conquer, and on successfully doing so, open up more areas to explore.
Each level in Atlas has a combination of randomized monsters, with over 400 monster types in early access, and you need to defeat all powerful and unique enemies within that map to progress deeper into Atlas. The Path of Exile 2 endgame is hundreds of hours long, with seven systems and added progression to the Path of Exile 2 ascension. To reach the endgame you need to complete the first three acts, twice, the second time in Cruel difficulty. Check out our how long is Path of Exile 2 to find out how long this takes.
Path of Exile 2 Atlas
Atlas itself has many biomes, from snowy mountains to dense jungles, and you can also find cities throughout. These cities provide different items depending on who within Wraeclast built it, but you can also find islands and constructions that host dangerous monsters for experience, or allies willing to depart with powerful items.
Some regions of the Atlas map are also plagued by corruption which means any level within that area has harder challenges, and killing enemies in swathes causes a powerful merge of corruption that is much more difficult to defeat.
Waystones
You can only use Waystones once to access a level, and they come in a variety of tiers which determine the difficulty; the higher the tier, the more danger ahead, but much better loot.
You can craft Waystones using currency items, and can also add prefix mods to improve the rewards and suffix mods to increase danger. The higher the danger, the more Waystones drop, improving your chance of getting a higher tiered Waystone.
Atlas Tree
By cleansing maps of corruption, you gain points to spend in the Atlas Skill Tree, which you can use to tinker with the danger and rewards from the endgame, such as increasing rare monsters or improving loot chances. There’s also a boss hunting section which can only be used when you defeat powerful bosses found in Atlas, indicated by an icon above the level.
Hideout
Along the way, you can find special areas called Hideouts to set up camp. You need to first clear the monsters out, but then once claimed, you can invite NPCs to hang out and decorate however you want.
Towers
Towers are precursor constructs dotted around the main Atlas map, and by completing a tower, you unlock the ability to see an area beyond the next map, which allows you to plan your next move.
Strongboxes
These chests are filled with loot, but they’re heavily guarded and have special modifiers that buff monsters or apply debuffs to you. You’ll need to clear all the monsters before you can access the treasure inside.
Path of Exile 2 Breach
Within Atlas, there are Breach levels, an endgame system from Path of Exile that has been tweaked slightly for Atlas. It’s essentially a tear in the fabric of reality and creates a link between our world and their world. By their, I mean demons, powerful monsters that traverse into our reality. Breach is a great way of securing better loot, quickly, while also changing your endgame content by securing Breach Tablets.
These tablets can be used in towers around Atlas to add more breach encounters to the map. Within these encounters, you also find Breach Splinters, accessible using a Breach Stone, unlocking a Realm Gate that takes the fight to the monsters’ domain. Within this domain, the big Breach boss, Xesht, can be fought to receive points that can be allocated to the Breach section of the Atlas Skill Tree.
Path of Exile 2 Ritual
Like Breach, the Ritual system exists within Atlas and is indicated by a red symbol above each map. These are sacrificial sites built by the mysterious King in the Mists. Once in a Ritual map, you must kill and feed the blood of the monsters slain as a tribute to the altar. After you’ve done this, touch the altar to resurrect all slain monsters to defeat them once more.
Tributes can be spent to buy items, and if Ritual maps exist in the same region, you can resurrect all monsters. Like the other systems, tablets can be used to access more Ritual maps and you’ll also be rewarded Omens, a meta crafting item that lets you customize the effects of crafting. At the end of all of this, you come up against the King of the Mists, and on defeating him, allocate points in the Ritual section of the Atlas Skill Tree.
Path of Exile 2 Delirium
Within different maps, you’ll find mirrors, and on touching these mirrors, are transported to the mists of delirium, which spreads out and infects your mind. Stay within the mists to slay enemies, but travelling further into the mist means encounters with stronger monsters. Rare and unique enemies within these maps are vessels for demons, and are very powerful. These levels reward you with Distilled Emotions which can be used on amulets as a sort of free skill slot, by instilling your amulet with a notable from the passive skill tree.
Within these maps, you’ll also discover Simulacrum Splinters, warped versions of your own memory that create tricky and testing encounters, but reward you with points for the Delirium Skill Tree.
Path of Exile 2 Expedition
In Atlas, the Kalgurrans need help digging up lost artifacts using explosions. However, these explosions trigger undead corrupted monsters, which can be further angered by using remnants. Artifacts can be exchanged with the Kalgurrans for items and runic magic. The same as other systems, tablets can increase expeditions, all leading to a fight with Olroth, the commander of the Knights of the Sun.
Path of Exile 2 Endgame Trials
If you’re more interested in what character progression looks like in the endgame, then you might want to tackle the trials available for character ascension. The Trial of the Sekhemas now has four floors available in the endgame, each with an array of challenges and a powerful boss. At the end of completing all four floors, you’ll fight a pinnacle boss, but you’ll also be rewarded with relics that can be used to rechallenge the trial and earn better loot.
The Trials of Chaos also adds more chambers, but rewards you with Vaal Orbs that can be used to corrupt items, giving your weapon a powerful effect or completely corrupting it (causing it to lose all modifiers or change completely). You can also gain Soul Cores to grant additional modifiers to your items.
Now you’re up to date with the Path of Exile 2 endgame, here’s the PoE 2 quest list, all the PoE 2 classes and their ascensions, and Path of Exile 2 bosses, so you know what you’re coming up against.