The Atlas of Worlds is the heart of Path of Exile 2's endgame. It consists of a vast, infinitely-generated set of maps that players will traverse to encounter a variety of events, bosses, and special encounters. Once you unlock the Atlas, you'll be diving into an expansive, ever-evolving endgame system that offers high-level rewards and challenges. Let's break down how the Atlas system works, including map exploration, events, bosses, and more.

1. How to Unlock the Atlas of Worlds & PoE 2 Endgame

To access the Atlas of Worlds and begin your endgame journey, you must first complete the Normal and Cruel Campaigns. Currently, only Acts 1 through 3 are available in PoE 2 Early Access, and you'll need to repeat these acts on a higher difficulty to progress toward unlocking the Atlas.

After defeating Doryani, the Act 3 boss on Cruel Difficulty, you'll be led to the Ziggurat Refuge, which serves as the central hub for the endgame content.

Here, Doryani introduces you to the Atlas of Worlds, offering your first Waystone to help you enter the Atlas maps and begin your progression.

2. Atlas Maps, Exploration, & Waystones

After unlocking the Ziggurat Refuge and receiving your first Waystone, head to the Map Device to access the Atlas Map. The Atlas is randomized for each player, meaning your layout will be unique. Here's how to interact with it:

Map Nodes: These are the key points on the Atlas Map. They are connected by dashed lines, with blue-glowing nodes representing unlocked areas and green-glowing nodes indicating completed maps.

Waystones: These are required to activate maps. Insert a Waystone into a Map Node and select Travel to open a portal to the selected map.

Map Portals: After activating the map, six portals will open around the Map Device. These portals allow you to enter the map and fight enemies, complete objectives, and explore. You can return to the Ziggurat Refuge or Hideout once per portal.

If you die during a map run, the Map Node will be marked as Attempted, and you'll need a new Waystone to try again if you still have attempts remaining.

3. Atlas Bosses, Special Encounters, & Endgame Events

As you progress through the Atlas, you will encounter various endgame events, bosses, and special encounters that will test your skills and offer greater rewards. Here are the major features of the Atlas:

Special Events:

Ritual Event: You'll interact with a Ritual Altar to summon enemies, which will spawn with various modifiers. Defeat the enemies to earn rewards.

Breach Event: A Breach Ring will grow as you kill enemies within its area. The longer the Breach is active, the more powerful the enemies become, granting better rewards.

Expedition Event: You'll need to place explosives around an archaeological site to reveal hidden treasure and spawn enemies. The more explosives you use, the more powerful the enemies will be.

Delirium Event: A moving AoE fog that empowers enemies. Stay within the fog to gain higher rewards for killing enemies.

Each event is marked by specific icons above the Map Nodes. These icons inform you which event you can expect when entering a map. For example, a purple icon with a hand indicates a Breach Event. Hover over a Node to learn more about its associated event.

Endgame Locations:

Lost Towers: These locations feature Precursor Tablets, which are dropped by endgame enemies. These tablets can be used to modify certain maps within the Lost Tower's radius, changing the conditions of the map.

Citadels: These locations feature repeat Act bosses (like Jamanra, Geonor, and Doryani) alongside Lieutenant bosses. Clearing these Citadels requires a high-tier Waystone, and dying within the Citadel results in its permanent closure.

The Burning Monolith: After collecting Fragments from each Citadel boss, you can enter the Burning Monolith to challenge the Arbiter of Ash in a special endgame encounter. Completing this encounter progresses the story.

Pinnacle Bosses:

Realmgate: Near the Ziggurat Refuge, the Realmgate allows you to challenge Pinnacle Bosses. These bosses can only be summoned with Currencies obtained through events like Ritual, Breach, Expedition, and Delirium. Defeating them grants valuable rewards, but you only have one chance to kill the boss. If you die, you'll need to farm the necessary currencies again to summon the boss.

4. PoE 2 Atlas Passive Skill Tree

After completing your first map, a quest will appear to complete 10 maps with at least a Tier 1 Waystone. Upon completion, you will receive a book granting two Atlas Passive Skill Tree points, which can be spent to improve your Atlas progression.

The Atlas Passive Skill Tree is similar to the Passive Skill Tree and offers various benefits, such as:

Increased Item Find: Boost the chances of finding valuable loot.

Waystone Improvements: Enhance the efficiency of Waystones, improve drop chances, and reduce the cost of traveling.

Improved Event Rewards: Amplify the rewards you gain from events like Ritual, Breach, and others.

To access this tree, open the Atlas Map and click on the Atlas Passive Skill Tree icon on the top left. You can respect your points by speaking with Doryani at the Ziggurat Refuge if you're unsatisfied with your choices.

5. Strategies for Mapping & Maximizing Rewards

The Atlas of Worlds is a vast and dynamic system, and maximizing its rewards requires a mix of strategic choices:

Balance Map Progression: Focus on completing Maps that grant the highest rewards while progressing through the Atlas. You may want to prioritize maps with the most event modifiers (like Breach or Delirium) for higher loot potential.

Optimize Your Atlas Passive Tree: Focus on passives that improve Waystone drop chances, event rewards, and rarity bonuses to ensure you're getting the most out of each map run.

Adapt to Event Modifiers: If an event has certain modifiers that improve your build or playstyle (like increased items rarity from Rituals), take advantage of them to farm more effectively.

Join a Mapping Group: Many players team up to tackle the Atlas, as multiplayer parties allow for faster clears and more efficient farming.

Prepare for Pinnacle Bosses: Keep a stockpile of the required event currencies to summon Pinnacle Bosses. These bosses drop the most rewarding loot and are essential for progression in the endgame.

Conclusion

The Atlas of Worlds in Path of Exile 2 is an expansive and complex system that offers an ever-evolving set of challenges and rewards. From exploring maps to encountering special events and bosses, there's a vast amount of content to engage with. By unlocking Waystones, navigating the Atlas Passive Skill Tree, and engaging with endgame events like Ritual, Breach, and Delirium, players can maximize their endgame progression and optimize their loot. Take your time to explore, and experiment with different Atlas paths, and make sure you're prepared for the ultimate challenges the Atlas holds in store!

As you dive deeper into the Atlas of Worlds and its myriad of events, continue to experiment, explore, and refine your strategies to conquer PoE 2's toughest endgame content. The road to mastery is long, but with the right preparation and understanding of Path of Exile 2 currency and Path of Exile 2 items systems, the rewards will be well worth it.