Path of Exile 2 (PoE 2), the highly anticipated sequel to the immensely popular action RPG Path of Exile, brings a wealth of new mechanics, systems, and content. One of the most exciting additions is the revamped Atlas of Worlds, which allows players to explore a vast network of maps with increasingly complex and dangerous challenges. A central aspect of this new endgame system is the Atlas Skill Tree, a powerful tool that lets players further customize their endgame experience, making it essential for Poe 2 trade maximizing loot and enhancing gameplay.

The Atlas Skill Tree offers deep customization, where every node provides benefits to your map progression, from increasing loot drops to enhancing the difficulty and modifiers of maps. With countless possible setups, choosing the best Atlas Skill Tree build can be a daunting task, especially for new players or those looking to optimize their farming efficiency. This article aims to explore some of the best Atlas Skill Tree setups, highlighting their strengths and providing insight into how to maximize your progress through the Atlas in Path of Exile 2.

What is the Atlas Skill Tree?

The Atlas Skill Tree in Path of Exile 2 is a specialized talent tree available to players after they have reached the endgame content. It serves as a way to further specialize your map runs, tailoring your experience toward specific goals like currency farming, boss farming, or exploration. The tree contains a wide array of passive nodes that affect many aspects of your map progression, such as:

Increased rarity and quantity of items dropped by monsters

Map modifiers that enhance the difficulty and rewards of maps

Specific league mechanic improvements, making certain types of content more rewarding

Boss farming optimizations to increase the chance of encountering and defeating powerful endgame bosses

Map sustain to help you maintain a steady supply of maps for continued runs

Your choices on the Atlas Skill Tree will influence how you approach your mapping sessions, whether you want to focus on farming specific items, exploring new league mechanics, or preparing for high-level boss fights.

Key Considerations When Choosing an Atlas Skill Tree Setup

Before diving into the best setups, it's essential to understand the various factors that will influence your decision. Each player's goals will be different, and the optimal setup can vary based on factors like:

Loot Farming Focus: Are you looking to farm for more items and currency, or are you prioritizing boss kills?

Map Sustain: Do you need to ensure a constant stream of maps, or are you comfortable farming a limited pool of high-value maps?

League Mechanics: Will you be focusing on specific league mechanics, like Delirium, Ritual, or Expedition?

Boss Farming: Do you plan to focus on farming map bosses, the Maven, or even more powerful endgame bosses like the Shaper, Uber Elder, or Sirus?

These factors will directly impact the best setup for your Atlas Skill Tree. With that in mind, let's explore some of the most powerful and effective setups.

1. Currency Farming Setup (Loot Rarity & Quantity)

If your goal is to maximize your currency and loot drops from mapping, you'll want a setup that focuses on increasing the rarity and quantity of items dropped by monsters. This setup allows you to generate more items per map and increases the value of the loot you receive.

Key Nodes:

Influence of the Map: These nodes increase the number of influenced monsters (Shaper, Elder, etc.) that spawn on your maps, significantly increasing item rarity and adding more valuable drops.

Treasure Hunter: This passive node increases the quantity of items dropped, providing more loot per map. It's particularly useful for farming high-level maps and league mechanics that reward you with rare items.

Awakened Rarity: Focuses on increasing the rarity of loot from your maps, ensuring that the items you receive are of higher value. It's beneficial for players who farm to sell items for currency.

Cartographer's Delight: This node helps sustain your maps by increasing the drop rate of maps from monsters. It's perfect for players who are constantly running maps and want to avoid running out of content.

Why It's Great: This setup allows you to generate a high volume of loot and currency with minimal effort, making it ideal for players who want to focus on loot farming rather than intense boss encounters. The combination of increased quantity and rarity will help you generate wealth quickly by selling valuable items in the trade market.

How to Play It: To maximize the effectiveness of this setup, focus on high-tier maps that have a good balance between difficulty and loot potential. You can also consider pairing it with items that increase your item rarity (e.g., Kalandra's Touch, The Green Nightmare rings) to enhance the efficiency of loot farming. This setup also synergizes well with Essence Farming or Delirium Farming, as these activities can drop valuable loot in bulk.

2. Boss Farming Setup (Map Bosses & Endgame Bosses)

For players who enjoy fighting high-level bosses, focusing on boss farming within the Atlas Skill Tree is a great way to maximize rewards from endgame content. This setup targets map bosses and endgame bosses like Shaper, Elder, Maven, and Sirus.

Key Nodes:

Map Boss Focus: These nodes increase the chances of encountering map bosses and provide rewards for defeating them. You can also enhance the map boss fights by increasing their difficulty and adding more drops.

Boss Health & Rewards: Special nodes that increase the health, difficulty, and loot potential from endgame bosses. These nodes are essential if you're trying to farm Sirus or Uber Elder for high-value loot and currency.

Maven's Influence: These nodes increase the difficulty of Maven's Invitation and offer powerful rewards for completing her challenges. This setup is ideal for buy POE 2 Divine Orbs players aiming to master the Maven and reap the rewards of high-tier encounters.

The Elder & Shaper Nodes: These nodes provide bonuses to encounters with The Elder or The Shaper, increasing item drops and ensuring a higher chance of unlocking additional rewards from these tough bosses.

Why It's Great: Boss farming setups are fantastic for players who want a challenging but rewarding endgame experience. By focusing on these nodes, you can encounter and defeat difficult bosses in your maps, unlocking endgame content and valuable loot drops. This setup is also highly rewarding for players who enjoy the excitement of high-stakes boss battles.