Summary
- The Dawn of the Hunt update for Path of Exile 2 revamped endgame content, introducing new map types and rewards.
- Expeditions offer valuable rewards and trading options for players in the endgame.
- Cleansing corrupted zones is now crucial for earning Atlas skill tree passive points in Path of Exile 2.
The Dawn of the Hunt update for Path of Exile 2 revamped the endgame content in a number of ways. Endgame progression has been tweaked, and there are new map types and modifiers that can lead to permanent rewards. As such, the best way to progress in the endgame and the best maps to run have changed.
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The biggest changes are the corrupted zones, which need to be cleansed by defeating a corrupted boss. These are now the primary way that players can earn their passive Atlas Tree skill points, but they are not the only way. Despite the changes, many of the existing endgame activities remain great ways to earn currency and loot. So, for players wondering which maps to prioritize in Path of Exile 2, here are the endgame maps with the best rewards.
8 Expedition
Buried Treasure
Rewards
- Artifacts
- Exotic Coinage
- Logbooks
Expeditions are worth pursuing in endgame maps, as the rewards from the maps and from interacting with the Expedition crew can be quite valuable. Once players start encountering and completing Expeditions in endgame maps, the Expedition crew will appear in their Hideout. These four NPCs act as some of the best endgame traders. Artifacts found on Expeditions can be used to purchase their wares, and each NPC sells different types of gear.
Players also get access to the recombinator via these Expedition NPCs, which is incredibly useful for crafting the ideal endgame items. Using Expedition Logbooks gets players access to larger Expedition maps, which can spawn with a unique boss fight at level 79 and above. Beating this fight will get players Expedition-related passive points for the Atlas skill tree.
7 Breach
Searching For Splinters
Rewards
- Breach Splinters
- Breach Catalysts
- Breach Rings
Endgame maps with Breaches were among the best activities to run before the endgame shake-up. Now, endgame activities are a little more balanced, so Breaches don't stand out as much anymore, but the rewards can still be pretty great.
Players can drop Breach Rings and Breach Catalysts, items that can only drop in Breaches, and Catalysts are a sought-after endgame currency for crafting rings and amulets. Players can also get Breach Splinters here. Assembling 300 of these allows access to Xesht, the Breach map boss, via the Realmgate. Defeating the boss will grant Atlas skill tree passive points related to Breach maps.
6 Delirium
Fight The Fog
Rewards
- Distilled Emotions
- Simulacrum Splinters
- Passive Points (Complete Simulacrum)
Players will run into Delirium mirrors from time to time throughout the campaign in Path of Exile 2. Once players get to the endgame, maps with Delirium mirrors and modifiers can be some of the best to run.
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The distilled emotions that players can get from these maps are one of the best rewards, as these can be used to infuse amulets with powerful passive abilities and buff waystones with Delirium modifiers. Players will also earn Simulacrum Splinters on each Delirium map, and 300 of these can be used to access the Delirium boss map via the Realmgate. Beating higher tiers of this boss gets players Delirium-related passive points for the Atlas skill tree.
5 Rituals
Random Rewards
Rewards
- Tribute
- Omens
- Audience with the King
Ritual maps contain Ritual Altars, similar to the ones players encounter in Freythorn during the campaign. Completing these altars earns players a resource called Tribute, which can be spent on random loot once the Rituals are complete. As well as random powerful items and currency, items on offer can include Omens, a powerful endgame crafting currency.
The ultimate prize is the Audience with the King item, though, as this gives players access to the Ritual boss via the Realmgate. The boss itself comes with its own unique item rewards, and defeating them grants Ritual-related Atlas skill tree passive points.
4 Towers
Buffing Maps
Rewards
- Precursor Tablet Slots
Progress can be pretty slow when players first get to the Atlas and start farming endgame maps and activities. One of the best ways to speed up progression is to unlock Towers so that players can slot Precursor Tablets into them, changing the properties of multiple maps in range.
Precursor Tablets have a chance to drop in all endgame activities, and they can modify maps via Towers to have inherent modifiers, like always including Breaches or Delirium. To unlock all three Precursor Tablet slots on a Tower, players have to complete the Tower map itself with a waystone that has enough modifiers (six to unlock all three slots). Using the right tablets can dramatically speed up players' progress in various endgame activities.
3 Unique Maps
Atlas Points
Rewards
- Atlas Skill Tree Passive Points
There are two ways to earn Atlas skill tree passive points for the main branch of the tree in the endgame. One of those ways will be completing the five unique maps that can be found on the Atlas.
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These maps are labeled as unique, so they can't be missed, and completing each one will get the player permanent passive points for their Atlas skill tree. They don't have any other unique rewards or features compared to other endgame maps, though.
2 Corrupted Nexus
Cleanse The Corruption
Rewards
- Atlas Skill Tree Passive Points
Cleansing corrupted zones is now the primary way of earning Atlas skill tree passive points in the endgame. To do this, players need to head towards maps with the corrupted label on the Atlas and complete these until they find the Corrupted Nexus. A waystone with sufficient modifiers is required to access this map (rare with at least four modifiers), and it contains both a regular boss and a corrupted boss that players must defeat back-to-back.
Once the corrupted boss is defeated, players gain two Atlas passive points and also cleanse the surrounding area, which adds new modifiers to maps that were previously corrupted. This essentially forms players' critical path through the endgame now, and gathering Atlas points is essential to overall endgame progress.
1 Pinnacle
Endgame Bosses
Rewards
- Map Fragments
- PInnacle Boss Uniques
- Atlas Skill Tree Boss Passive Points
The only way to get the last passive points for the boss branch of the Atlas skill tree is to defeat the Arbiter of Ash. This is the game's final pinnacle boss, and they also unlock their own branch of the Atlas tree, but getting to them and defeating them isn't easy.
Players first need to get map fragments from the pinnacle versions of the game's act bosses, found on maps marked by beacons on the Atlas. Players combine these fragments in the Burning Monolith on the Atlas to access the Arbiter of Ash. Defeating the boss not only grants Arbiter-related Atlas passive tree points, but it also gives players a chance to get some of the most sought-after unique items in Path of Exile 2.
Path of Exile II
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 88 /100 Critics Rec: 100%
- Released
- December 6, 2024
- ESRB
- Mature 17+ / Blood and Gore, Nudity, Intense Violence, Sexual Themes, Language, Users Interact, In-Game Purchases (Includes Random Items)
- Developer(s)
- Grinding Gear Games
- Publisher(s)
- Grinding Gear Games
WHERE TO PLAY
- Engine
- Proprietary Engine
- Genre(s)
- Action RPG, Hack and Slash, MMORPG
