Atlas of Worlds

This page is about the game mechanic. For the expansion, see Atlas of Worlds (expansion).

File:Atlas of Worlds redrawn.jpg

The fully explored Atlas

The Atlas of Worlds is Path of Exile's end-game map system. The Atlas is a series of linked maps that players can progress through after completing a quest for Zana, Master Cartographer.

Overview

The Atlas of Worlds is a visualisation of the dream worlds that are opened by activating maps, how these worlds are linked and the way they progress towards the centre. The Atlas is separated in four quadrants which can be entered through a tier 1 map, one in each corner of the Atlas. These tier 1 maps start dropping in Act 8. When the player progresses through the maps, their tiers - and difficulty - will increase.

The Atlas also displays areas influenced by the Shaper and the Elder, which have a chance to drop Shaper or Elder items which have their own unique affixes. When the Elder zone grows large enough, 5 maps in the Elder-influenced area will have the Elder and the Elder Guardians replacing the bosses.

Completion

All maps, both base maps and unique maps, are located on the Atlas of Worlds. Map drops are not completely random; instead a specific tier is chosen first and the map type is chosen from pool of maps completed for that tier or connected to the map the player is currently playing.

Each completed map base type also gives a 1% chance to upgrade the tier of a map, with values over 100% giving a chance to increase the tier a second time. The maximum map tier however can not bypass drop restrictions, even if it would have been upgraded.

For example, a rare monster in a tier 6 map with 125% completion bonus:

• a rare monster can drop +1 maps, as such it can drop tier 1 to 7 maps
• it will only drop maps that are adjacent or already unlocked on the atlas
• a tier 5 drop would be upgraded to tier 6, with a 25% chance to be upgraded to tier 7
• a tier 6 drop would be upgraded to tier 7, but can't be upgraded any further
• a tier 7 is already the highest possible drop, and can't be upgraded any further

Untainted Paradise, The Perandus Manor, and The Beachhead do not count towards Atlas completion.

Influenced areas

Initially, Shaper influenced maps will appear on the Atlas, marked with a cosmic background surrounding the map. Shaper influenced areas can contain additional enemies or the boss becomes enhanced by the Shaper, making them more difficult. These areas have a chance to drop a Shaped rare item, which can contain modifiers not found in regular crafted items. Once a Shaper-influenced map is cleared, it will disappear. New influenced areas will appear over time and old areas can disappear.

Elder-influenced areas start appearing after clearing a Tier 6+ Shaper-influenced map. Like Shaper-influenced areas, these areas can drop Elder items with their own unique set of modifiers. The Elder-influenced area will expand as maps are cleared, but will stop growing if a Shaper-influenced area is in the way. Clearing the Shaper-influenced area that's blocking the way will allow the Elder-influenced area to continually grow. When the area of influence grows large enough, 5 random maps in the area will have the Elder or an Elder Guardian replace the map's boss. You must defeat all four Elder Guardians before you can fight the Elder. These areas will not change until the corresponding map is cleared.

Elder-influenced areas can also contain a Memory Fragment, which can be traded in to Zana for a Shaper's Orb.

Currency

• Shaper's Orbs are awarded for completing an Elder-influenced map that contains a Memory Fragment. They can be used to upgrade a map into a "Shaped" map to drop which are 5 tiers higher than their regular counterpart
• Cartographer's Sextants allow applying a special modifier to map, which applies its stats in a radius to other nearby maps. Those stats can be stacked, but a mod is used up after 3 uses
• Unshaping Orbs can be used to unshape a map.
• Cartographer's Seals "uncomplete" a map.

Shaping maps

Main page: Shaper's Orb

Obtaining Shaper's Orbs

Players acquire Shaper's Orbs by collecting Memory Fragments and giving them to Zana. Memory Fragments are found by killing the bosses of Elder-influenced maps circled in purple on the Atlas. To acquire the final five Memory Fragments, you must defeat the four Elder Guardians with the Elder occupying a red-tier map, then defeat the Elder.

Memory Fragment	Found in map tier	Shaper's Orb	Notes
I (1)	6	Tier 1
II (2)	7	Tier 2
III (3)	8	Tier 3
IV (4)	9	Tier 4
V (5)	10	Tier 5
VI (6)	11	Tier 6
VII (7)	12	Tier 7
VIII (8)	13	Tier 8, #1
X (10)	14	Tier 9, #1
XIII (13)	15	Tier 10, #1
IX (9)	red Elder	Tier 8, #2	Occupied by the Enslaver. Map opened/owned by you.
XI (11)	red Elder	Tier 9, #2	Occupied by the Eradicator. Map opened/owned by you.
XII (12)	red Elder	Tier 9, #3	Occupied by the Constrictor. Map opened/owned by you.
XIV (14)	red Elder	Tier 10, #2	Occupied by the Purifier. Map opened/owned by you.
XV (15)	red	Tier 10, #3	Occupied by the Elder. Map opened/owned by you. The Shaper must be kept alive.

• The more common memory fragment is always given first, e.g. completing a T13 map with an Elder Guardian before completing a T13 Elder-influenced map will drop fragment 8 (VIII) instead of the Guardian specific fragment.
• Memory fragments are collected in the Book of Memories at The Templar Laboratory (Epilogue). The page numbers correspond to the fragment numbers in the table above.
• Please note that the quest tracker simply displays the amount of memory fragments you've found so far, it does not tell you the (roman) memory fragment number you will find next. The fragments are numbered based on the Shaper's Orb they result in, which does not correspond to the order you find the fragments in. In particular, if you've only collected the ten fragments from Elder-influence, you have collected fragments number 1-8, 10 and 13, and the quest tracker will show 10/15.

Spending Shaper's Orbs

Shaper's Orbs are used to upgrade lower tier maps whose layout or bosses a player may find accessible but whose drops and experience gains wouldn't otherwise be attractive. A Shaper's Orb grants +5 to the tier of those maps, i.e. increases the difficulty. Subsequently that increases the experience gained from slain monsters and item level of their drops. Note that Shaper's Orbs don't add Increased Item Rarity or Increased Item Quantity to that map. Unique maps can't be shaped.

Shaping a map can be undone using an Unshaping OrbUnshaping OrbStack Size: 10Downgrades a map on the AtlasRight click this item then left click a shaped map on the atlas to downgrade it. You can then earn the Shaper's Orb again to reshape another map afterwards. which is obtained by vendoring 20 Cartographer's ChiselsCartographer's ChiselStack Size: 20Improves the quality of a mapRight click this item then left click a map to apply it. Has greater effect on lower-rarity maps. The maximum quality is 20%. and 5 Orbs of RegretOrb of RegretStack Size: 40Grants a passive skill refund pointRight click on this item to use it.. Once unshaped, players can talk to Zana to re-obtain the Shaper's Orb.

End of league transfer

When the current league ends the progress on the Atlas of Worlds is transferred to the relevant parent league. The parent league is generally Standard or Hardcore.

The merge has the following rules:

• Maps or bonus objectives completed transferred to the parent league
• Cartographer's Sextant mods:
  • They will be moved to the parent league; if the map already has a mod, the parent league mods will be kept
  • Legacy modifiers continue to exist and work as long they have not been overridden
• Shaped maps will carry over if the equivalent level Shaper's Orb hasn't been used on parent league; if you already shaped a map of the tier the parent league takes preference
• Shaper's Orbs:
  • If a specific level has already been used in the parent league, it will be removed from the character's inventory
  • If you have the same in both parent league and temporary league, both Shaper's Orbs will be removed when you use either

Legacy Maps

Pre-3.1

If you complete a map that was created before the War for the Atlas expansion, it will complete a chain of maps from the start pointing on the Atlas up until the tier of map you completed. Shaped and Elder items do not drop on these maps. Elder Guardians also cannot spawn from them.

Pre-Atlas

Non-unique pre-Atlas maps from prior to Version 2.5.0 do not count towards Atlas completion, even for maps where the map type and tier are identical to the current version. Older versions of unique maps will count towards Atlas completion, including the bonus objective, but the Shaper's Orb does not drop in old versions (affecting Oba's Cursed TroveOba's Cursed Trove
Underground Sea MapMap Level: 77
Map Tier: 10
Item Quantity: +40%Area has patches of desecrated ground
20 patches with Ground Effect per 100 tiles (Hidden)
Ground Effect has a radius of 10 (Hidden)
(40-50)% more Monster Life
(30-40)% increased Monster Damage
Area becomes fatal after some time"Here the soil is more deadly than any swing of the axe."
- Oba of the Karui, Conqueror of Corruption.Travel to this Map by using it in a personal Map Device. Maps can only be used once., Poorjoy's AsylumPoorjoy's Asylum
Temple MapMap Level: 81
Map Tier: 14
Guild Character: ß
Item Quantity: +100%
Item Rarity: +250%150% increased Experience gain
(140-160)% more Monster Life
(140-160)% increased Monster Damage
25% increased Monster Movement Speed
25% increased Monster Attack Speed
25% increased Monster Cast Speed
Area is a large Maze
Unique Boss drops (10-15) additional Rare <Item Class>Laughs of all the twisted
Echo through these halls of gold.
In this cold forgotten void
They wander, forever uncontrolled.Travel to this Map by using it in a personal Map Device. Maps can only be used once., and The Vinktar SquareThe Vinktar Square
Courtyard MapMap Level: 72
Map Tier: 5
Guild Character: ²
Item Quantity: +(100-150)%
Item Rarity: +(100-150)%
Monster Pack Size: +(30-50)%20% more Monster Life
(30-50)% increased Pack size
Monsters are Unaffected by Shock
20% increased Monster Damage
+35% Monster Lightning Resistance
Monsters deal 35% extra Physical Damage as LightningTo the east,
it cannot be seen.
To the west,
it cannot be touched.
To the south,
it cannot be remembered.
And to the north,
it cannot be contained.Travel to this Map by using it in a personal Map Device. Maps can only be used once.).

External links

• Online interactive Atlas map

Version history

Version	Changes
2.4.0	Introduced to the game.