PoE2 Dawn of the Hunt Endgame Strategy: Atlas Tree

Congratulations for clear the campaign Acts exilers! Dawn of the Hunt patch (0.2.0) for Path of Exile 2 has unleashed a sprawling endgame, and the Atlas is your ticket to Wraeclast's toughest battles and juiciest loot. Whether you're just hitting maps or chasing Tier 15s, nailing the Atlas and its mechanics - such as Corrupted Nexus zones and Precursor Tablets - can make or break your grind. We've been tearing through the endgame ourselves, and this guide is packed with what we've learned to help you progress faster. If you enjoy these tips, our website is a great place to check back for updates, and we've got some extras in our store that you might like. Let's break down the PoE 2 endgame and get you rolling!

The PoE 2 endgame in Dawn of the Hunt revolves around the Atlas of Worlds—a dynamic map hub where you run Waystone-powered maps, cleanse corruption, and unlock rewards. It's not just about clearing zones, it's about mastering systems like towers, bosses and league mechanics to maintain maps and stack loot. Here's everything you need to know, from Atlas basics to pro-level strategies.

The Atlas is unlocked after completing Act 3 on Cruel difficulty (around level 65), when Doryani hands you your first Waystone in the Ziggurat Refuge. Think of it as an infinite, randomized overworld of maps, each with unique enemies, bosses, and rewards. Your goal? Progress levels (1-15+), earn Atlas Passive Points and customise your grind.

Waystones: Single-use keys to enter maps. Craft them with Transmute, Augmentation, Regal or Alchemy Orbs for more modifiers - prefixes increase rewards (e.g. more rares), suffixes add danger (e.g. less resists).  

Atlas passive tree: Press Ctrl+U to access this beast. You earn points (up to 40) by clearing Corrupted Nexus zones and unique maps, which you can use to tweak map drops, loot, or mechanics.  

Cataclysm's Wake: The main Atlas quest. Clear maps of increasing levels (8 per level for 1-5, 6 for 6-10, fewer for 11-15) for 2 points per completion.

Starter Strategy: Early on, focus on map completion over juicing. Grab the “20% chance for Waystones to drop a tier higher” node (top-right tree) and “Waystone quantity” (bottom-right) for sustain. Avoid heavy modifiers until your build's ready—dying costs Waystones.  

Corrupted Nexus zones are the heart of Atlas progression, granting 2 points per clear (15 needed for 30 points, plus 5 unique maps for the last 10). They're rare, but there's a trick to hunting them down.

Finding Them: Check towers in the Fog of War—corrupted ones have purple vines, signaling a Nexus nearby. Even distant towers will show these, so zoom in and scout.  

Clearing tips: Run tiered maps (1-15) with 4+ modifiers—Transmute and Regal Orbs are your friends early. Pick safe mods (e.g., extra monsters, not reflect damage). If a Nexus fails, it's wiped, so don't overcommit.  

Pro Move: Group up - everyone gets the points, and shared Waystones stretch your gold. After clearing, hit adjacent Cleansed maps for Fracturing Orb drops—crafting goldmines.  

Example: We found a level 8 Nexus by spotting vines on a fog tower, ran it with +30% monster life and extra rares for 2 points and a Cleansed map that coughed up a Fracturing Orb. Safe and steady wins here.

Running out of maps is a rookie trap, but 0.2.0 makes sustain forgiving with Doriani and smart crafting.  

Doriani's Deal: In the Ziggurat Refuge, he will sell up to 10 Waystones, always one tier below your highest level (e.g. tier 14 after a tier 15) for ~18,000 gold. Lower tiers are cheaper.  

Reforge Bench: Buy three Waystones, and upgrade them 3:1 to your desired tier. Gold is easy to loot.  

Crafting Basics: Always run blue (Transmute + Augmentation) or rare (Regal/Alchemy) maps for better drops. Save Alchemy Orbs for tier 14+; they're scarce early.

Strategy: Stockpile gold by selling junk gear, then spam Doriani buys. We've kept tier 10s flowing just by crafting blues—18k gold per run's nothing when rares drop like candy.

To climb tiers, boss maps are your ladder—only they drop higher-tier Waystones naturally.  

Boss Map Focus: Prioritize maps with boss icons (1 in 4 zones). Clear the boss for a shot at the same or higher level Waystones. Tier 8 and below? Use these to jump to boss maps, saving higher tiers for the kill.  

Precursor tablets: Place these in cleared Lost Towers to modify nearby maps. "Irradiated (+1 area level) pushes tiers over 15; Overseer (2-4 boss maps) spawns extra loot pinatas. Use maps with 3+ mods for 2 tablet slots.  

Level 79+ trick: For boss tree points, kill map bosses in areas 79+ (level 15 or irradiated level 14s). Stack tablets for a level boost.

Pro Tip: Run Precursor Tablets like “+1 level” or “bosses in range” constantly—tablets are common, and the 30% quantity node (Precursor Influence) keeps them flowing. We hit level 16 with an Irradiated level 15 boss card and the loot was insane.

Your first 6-18 Atlas points set the pace. Here's a lean setup for early Dawn of the Hunt:  

Precursor Influence (3 points): 30% more Precursor Tablets - sustains your tower buffs and sellable extras.  

Waystone Quantity (2 points): Bottom right node for more drops, alleviating sustain issues.  

Enigmatic Intensification (3 points): More explicit Waystone modifiers per tower (up to 3-4 per zone), juicing loot.  

Tablet Effects (2 points): Boosts tablet quantity/rarity—more bang for your tower buck.  

Rising Danger (3 points): 15% more rare monsters, where most loot lives. Skip the duplicate rares - it's a dud.  

Gorillan Journey (2 points): 2% increased explicit modifier effect per mod—scales map buffs hard.

Why it works: This skips fluff like biome nodes (e.g. local nobility - swamp only drops stink) or magic packs (no loot effect). Focus on rares and tablets for loot and levels. Later, test Unstable Energies (pack size) if your build is beefy, but hold off if you're squishy.

The Atlas isn't just maps—it's a playground of league mechanics, each with its own tree. Here's a quick rundown:  

Expanding rings of mobs; stack Frantic Invasion nodes for splinter density. Multi-breach maps with towers can net deities hourly. Run open-layout maps, use +quantity mods, and stack tablets for maximum splinters. Sell Breachstones or fight Xesht for uniques.

Altars with tribute for rewards. Nodes increase tribute and uniques - great for crafting mats. Pair with rare-heavy cards; delay high-value items early for profit.

NPC-driven digs for artifacts. Nodes add rares and logbooks - Gwennen's gambles are gold. Tablet-mod for density, sell logbooks, or craft with Rog for gear upgrades.

Foggy loot explosions that last 2.5x longer after the patch. Nodes up shard drops. Clear quickly, stack towers for rares - simulacrum runs are endgame cash cows.

General Tip: Pick a mechanic to spec into after 20 points (e.g. Breach for currency). Respec on Doryani for gold if pivot flexibility is key.

Once you're comfy in tier 10+, crank the dial:  

Tower Stacking: Stack multiple Overseer tablets for boss-heavy zones. Irradiated + boss mods = tier 16+ loot fests.  

Cleansed maps: Post-Nexus, these drop Fracturing Orbs - lock mods like +life, reroll for god-tier gear.  

Biome play: If you love swamps, grab Local Nobility later for biome-specific drops, but only with a focused farm.  

Group Farming: Share Nexus runs and tablet costs - faster points, cheaper waystones. We've done level 15s with mates and drowned in loot.

Beware: Avoid the Ecological Shift (40% random content, 20% fewer mobs) - it's a trap unless you're swimming in Waystones. Strongboxes and shrines? Testable, but rares outshine them for now.

The 0.2.0 endgame rewards brains over brawn. Towers and Doriani make sustain a non-issue, Nexus hunting is a scavenger hunt with big payouts, and mechanics like Breach allow you to tailor the chaos. It's less "pray for drops" and more "plan your profit". We've chained level 15 boss maps with Overseer tablets, and the rare loot is already funding our next builds.

Dawn of the Hunt's endgame is a beast, but with this guide, you're set to hunt Corrupted Nexus zones, sustain maps, and juice loot like a pro. Wraeclast has more tricks up its sleeve - keep an eye on MMOJUGG for the next wave!