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The Atlas Skill Tree in Path of Exile 2 is an essential endgame mechanic that becomes available after you've completed all six Acts of the campaign. By fulfilling objectives in the main quest, Cataclysm's Wake, assigned by Doryani, you'll earn Atlas skill point books, which each provide 2 points. Strategically allocating these points is crucial for a seamless and efficient endgame experience. Here, we outline the optimal setups for the Atlas skill tree in Path of Exile 2.
Best Early Mapping Atlas Skill Tree in Path of Exile 2
In the Tier 1-10 mapping phase, the primary challenge for players is maintaining a steady supply of Waystones to advance toward the true endgame. While enhancing maps to boost monster drops might be tempting, it's a strategy that can hinder long-term progress. The goal should be reaching Tier 15 maps to effectively engage in endgame farming.
The initial Atlas skill points are vital, and three nodes should be your top priorities:
| Best Early Endgame Atlas Skills | ||
|---|---|---|
| Constant Crossroads | 20% increased Quantity of Waystones found in your maps. | |
| Fortunate Path | 100% increased rarity of Waystones found in your maps. | |
| The High Road | Waystones have a 20% chance of being a tier higher. | |
By the time you complete the Tier 4 map quest from Doryani, you should have amassed enough Atlas points to unlock these critical nodes. Constant Crossroads directly enhances your Waystone drop rates, making it an essential choice. Fortunate Path can save you from spending 
Regal Orbs, 
Exalted Orbs, and 
Orbs of Alchemy on your Waystones. The High Road is particularly vital as it offers a 20% chance for your Waystones to be of a higher tier, easing the transition between tiers.
Before venturing into Tier 5+ maps, ensure your character build is optimized, as no Atlas skill tree can compensate for a weak build.
Best Endgame Atlas Skill Tree in Path of Exile 2
Once you reach Tier 15 maps, the challenge of acquiring Waystones diminishes, allowing you to accumulate a surplus of these maps and fully resolve the Waystone issue. At this stage, the focus shifts to maximizing the number of rare monsters on your maps, as they yield the most valuable drops. Here are the nodes you should prioritize:
| Best Endgame Atlas Skills | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Deadly Evolution | Gives 1 to 2 additional modifiers to Magic and Rare Monsters, drastically increasing the number and quality of drops. | ||
| Twin Threats | Rare monsters are the primary source of drops in maps, other than bosses, and increasing their number in a map is huge. That is why Waystones with 'Increased number of Rare Monsters' are the most sought after. Twin Threats adds a flat +1 Rare monster to every map, and you can grab Rising Danger along the way to get a 15% increased Rare monsters in your maps. | ||
| Precursor Influence | Precursor Tablets are instrumental in making the true endgame grind profitable. Beelining towards the Towers, putting in Tablets to juice the maps is the cheapest way to make runs profitable. Precursor Influence increases the drop chance of Tablets by +30%. | ||
| Local Knowledge (Optional) | Local Knowledge can have potentially huge rewards as it shifts the weighting of drops depending on the map biome. The only problem is that two out of the five map biomes it affects become worse instead of better (Mountain and Desert). Make sure you're paying attention to which biome you're stepping into if you have Local Knowledge activated on your Atlas tree, and respec if the result is not desirable. When not using Local Knowledge, put the points in the Higher Tier Waystone node (below Crystalline Growths) and Tablet Effect (next to Precursor Influence). | ||
If you notice a significant drop in Waystone acquisition, consider respeccing back into the Waystone nodes on the Atlas tree to maintain your progress.
