The Atlas of Worlds comprises the Path of Exile 2 endgame, and contains an essentially infinitely-generated set of maps that you can progress through. After interacting with the Map Device for the first time, you may feel overwhelmed by the sheer amount of choice in the Atlas screen, but fear not – once you get the hang of the PoE 2 Atlas, understanding endgame progression and endgame systems becomes second nature.
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There is quite a lot to understand about the Atlas to maximize your time spent in the endgame. But by understanding how to traverse maps, which events and bosses you can expect to encounter, and other features of the Atlas of Worlds, players will quickly learn how to interact with this endgame system correctly and get the most out of Mapping in PoE 2.
How To Unlock The Atlas of Worlds & PoE 2 Endgame
To unlock the Atlas, Path of Exile 2 players must first beat both the Normal and Cruel Campaigns. In PoE 2 Early Access, only Act 1 to 3 of the total planned 6 are available. To bridge the gap between Act 3 and the endgame, players are sent back to the beginning of the game to repeat Acts 1 through 3 on a higher difficulty.
After beating the Act 3 boss (Doryani) on Cruel difficulty, a sequence of events will play out leading you to the Ziggurat Refuge, the hub area of the endgame. Doryani will introduce the Atlas of Worlds and provide your first Waystone, paving the way forward to explore the PoE 2 Atlas and engage with endgame content.
Atlas Maps, Exploration, & Waystones
After unlocking the Ziggurat Refuge and getting your first Waystone, head to the left of the NPC hub area in the Refuge to find the Map Device. Click on the Map Device to open up the Atlas Map. The Atlas Map is randomized for every player, and your layout will not look like anyone else’s.
Look around the Ziggurat to see numerous Map Nodes dotting the landscape, connected with dashed lines. Any Map Node that is highlighted with a blue glow is available to travel to, Nodes without a glow are not yet unlocked, and Maps with a green glow have been completed. As you complete maps, more Map Nodes will become available and open new paths that extend outward from the Ziggurat.
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To start mapping, you must have a Waystone. Click on the Map Device, then select any Map Node with a blue glow. A small box will pop up with a basic description of the map and Waystone slots. Place your Waystone into one of these slots, then click the “Travel” button to activate the map.
The Atlas Map screen will close and six portals will appear around the Map Device, each leading to the same zone. These six Map Portals stay open as long as you survive, and you can travel back to the Ziggurat Refuge (or your Hideout) once for each remaining portal.
If you die in the middle of a map, you will be sent back to the Refuge or your Hideout and the Map Node will be marked as “Attempted”. You can travel back to town six times, using one of the Map Portals each time, but if you die, you’ll have to slot a new Waystone and try the map again – if you still have attempts remaining, that is.
Atlas Bosses, Special Encounters, & Endgame Events
Throughout the endgame Atlas PoE 2 players will encounter special endgame events, unique landmarks like Lost Towers and Citadels, and fight Pinnacle Bosses in addition to the regular randomly-generated mapping experience.
There are four special events that can appear inside Atlas Maps – Ritual, Breach, Expedition, and Delirium.
- Ritual Events see players defeat a horde of enemies that are summoned in the immediate area after interacting with a Ritual Altar, which also displays any modifiers those enemies may have
- Breach Events spawn an expanding Breach Ring that will continue to grow outward as players continue to kill enemies, increasing the rewards from enemies killed within its area of effect during the event duration
- Expedition Events instruct players to place explosives around an archeological expedition, revealing treasure and spawning hordes of enemies that get more powerful the more modifiers and bonuses you choose to blow up
- Delirium Events see players keep up with a moving AoE fog that empowers enemies and grants heightened rewards for killing enemies while staying inside of the fog
Any map with a icon above it is guaranteed to contain at least one instance of the respective event. For example, if you see a purple icon with a grasping hand above a Map Node, that node is guaranteed to contain a Breach event. To find out what each Map Icon means to learn which event to expect, click on the Node (when it becomes available to Travel to) and hover over the icon.
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Each event has its own unique Passive Skill Tree (on the same screen as the Atlas Passive Skill Tree screen) which improves their rewards or improves your experience. Points cannot be shared between events,
There are also features such as Lost Towers and Citadels that players can take on as they uncover more of the Atlas Map.
- Lost Towers all follow the same layout and are relatively short, with maps that lead to a beacon that can be slotted with a Precursor Tablet. In PoE 2, Precursor Tablets drop from endgame enemies and loot containers, and can alter the conditions of a select number of maps within the radius of a Lost Tower.
- Citadels are Map Nodes that always feature a repeat of one of the three Act bosses in Path of Exile 2 along with Lieutenant bosses. There are Copper Citadels (Jamanra), Iron Citadels (Geonor), and Stone Citadels (Doryani). Using the highest tier of Waystone, players have one chance to clear the Citadel and beat its boss. If you die, the Citadel closes forever.
- The Burning Monolith is a unique location requiring players to collect Fragments from each Citadel boss. Once you get three Fragments, one from each of the bosses of the three different Citadels, you will be able to fight the unique Arbiter of Ash and complete the quest “The Pinnacle of Flame”
Players can also use the Realmgate, a giant portal near the starting Ziggurat, to challenge Pinnacle Bosses. Separate from Citadel and Burning Monolith bosses, Pinnacle Bosses can only be summoned with Currencies acquired in the Ritual, Breach, Expedition, and Delirium events. You will only get one chance to defeat the summoned boss, and must re-farm summoning materials if you die.
PoE 2 Atlas Passive Skill Tree
After finishing your first Map a new quest will appear in the quest tracker, requiring you to complete 10x maps with at least a Tier 1 Waystone. After completing this quest, you will get a book that grants two Atlas Passive Skill Tree points, and automatically pick up another quest for the next Waystone tier.
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Consume the book to gain two Points, then open up the Atlas Map with the Map Device and select the Atlas Passive Skill Tree icon on the top-left of the map screen.
Here you will see a sprawling maze of Atlas Passives not unlike the regular PoE 2 Passive Skill Tree. Nodes on this tree will grant a variety of upgrades to your endgame experience with Item find and Rarity chance, Waystone improvements and drop chance, improved chance to find rare Currencies like Essences, and generally increase the rewards for taking on endgame content.
If you decide you aren’t satisfied with your Atlas Passive Skill Tree points, respec them by talking to Doryani at the Ziggurat Refuge. After unlocking the Atlas he should have a new dialogue option to “Refund Atlas Passive Skill Points”, which will initiate the refund process that works just like the Passive Skill Tree.
- Franchise
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Path of Exile
- ESRB
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M For Mature 17+ // Blood and Gore, Nudity, Violence
- Early Access Release
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December 6, 2024