118 articlesThe Atlas in Path of Exile 2 (Patch 0.5) is a big grind, but it is not as confusing once you understand the main route. There are 311 Atlas passive points to unlock, and yes, you can eventually unlock every single point on the tree.
The important thing to know is that Atlas progression is split into two main paths. The first is your main Atlas progression, which applies to all maps and gives you general mapping power like more rare monsters, duplicated rares, increased tablet effect, more natural loot, and better map juice. This is the part you should focus on first.
The second path is your league mechanic progression, such as Abyss, Breach, Delirium, and other mechanics. These are also powerful, but you do not need to finish all of them right away. If you never want to touch Ritual, for example, you can simply skip Ritual and focus on the mechanics you actually want to farm.
If you are still learning the wider Patch 0.5 endgame systems, you may also want to check our Return of the Ancients: Complete Genesis Tree Guide, since the new update added several progression systems that are easy to miss.
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When you first enter maps, follow Doryani’s questline. A Precursor Tower should appear near the start of your Atlas. Rush to this tower and complete it.
After that, a large city-like Atlas area will appear. This is where you earn your main Atlas points. Regular maps in this area give +1 Atlas point, while the wall or tower-style maps give +3 Atlas points.
The area is huge and can contain well over 100 maps, so do not worry about clearing everything immediately. Your first goal is to follow the questline and rush the major objectives.
This route eventually takes you toward the Burning Monolith, then sends you toward the Eastern Gateway and Western Gateway. From there, you unlock the Eastern Enigma Chamber and Western Enigma Chamber.
These chambers work like citadel-style boss fights. Once you complete both sides, return to the Burning Monolith and fight the Arbiter of Ash, which is your first major pinnacle-style boss in this Atlas progression chain.
If you are planning to craft gear while progressing, our How to Craft a Bow Crit/Non-Crit guide is also useful for understanding how early currency and crafting materials can turn into real upgrades.
What to Do After Beating Arbiter of Ash (Arbiter of Divinity)
After defeating the Arbiter of Ash, another area unlocks. From here, rush the Origin Tower to receive the next quest.
This quest sends you to collect sparks by completing the Patriarch Halls and Matriarch Halls. These work similarly to the earlier Arbiter of Ash setup, except this time you need to defeat two related bosses before you can fight the next major boss.
After finishing the Patriarch and Matriarch objectives, you can fight the Arbiter of Divinity.
This fight can be difficult if your character is undergeared, so make sure your build is at least in decent shape before trying it. The good news is that you get unlimited attempts, so even if you die a few times, you can keep trying.
Once you beat the Arbiter of Divinity, the real Atlas grind begins.
How to Unlock Every Atlas Point Fast
After killing the Arbiter of Divinity, you will get a choice involving five stone statues or five sections. Choosing one of these unlocks a full Atlas section and gives you all the Atlas points inside that area.
This is the key to speeding up Atlas completion. Instead of manually clearing 100 to 150 maps inside the city, you can use Arbiter of Divinity kills to unlock entire sections at once.
However, you only get this section-unlock option each time you kill the Arbiter of Divinity. That means you need to defeat him five times total to unlock every Atlas point.
The first kill comes from the main questline inside the city. After that, you need four more Arbiter of Divinity kills from encounters found outside the city.
You can technically complete every map inside the city manually, and that will also unlock the Atlas. But it is much slower. The more efficient route is to go outside the city and search for more Patriarch Halls and Matriarch Halls so you can repeat the boss chain.
Why You Should Search Outside the City After Arbiter of Divinity
After your first Arbiter of Divinity kill, you should start exploring outside the main city area.
Outside the city, you can find more Patriarch and Matriarch encounters. They appear in the darkness and look similar to citadel-style fights with visible beams. You need to complete the required pair of encounters to unlock another Arbiter of Divinity fight.
This is better than clearing the city map by map because you will also naturally find other useful Atlas content along the way. While searching outside, you can run into master questlines, citadels, unique maps, Jade Islands, Corrupted Nexuses, and other progression systems.
To fully unlock the Atlas this way, you will need the original quest Arbiter of Divinity kill plus four more kills outside the city. Since each outside cycle requires both Patriarch and Matriarch encounters, expect some searching.
It is still a grind, but it is a much better grind than manually clearing every single city map like you are doing Atlas chores for minimum wage.
How League Mechanic Questlines Work
League mechanic questlines are separate from your main Atlas progression. These include mechanics like Abyss, Breach, Delirium, and others.
To unlock a league mechanic questline, you usually just need to complete that mechanic once inside a map. For example, if you complete an Abyss encounter, the game will reveal the main Abyss area on your Atlas.
After that, go to the revealed location and complete the mechanic’s questline. These usually involve clearing the maps inside that mechanic’s area. Once finished, you unlock the passive points for that mechanic.
The important part is that you do not have to complete every league mechanic if you do not care about it. If you want to run Abyss, do Abyss. If you do not care about Ritual, skip Ritual. Focus on the mechanics you actually want to farm.
A good approach is to finish the main Atlas questline until you kill Arbiter of Divinity once, then choose one league mechanic to focus on while searching for more Patriarch and Matriarch encounters outside the city.
If you want a wider look at what is worth farming in the current update, check our Path of Exile 2: Best Farms for 0.5 Patch guide.
How to Complete Abyss Progression Faster through Kulemak
For Abyss, there is a useful shortcut that can save you time.
You do not need to clear every map surrounding the Abyss area to get all your Abyss points. Based on the provided tip, the only maps you need are the ones going north, south, and east of the Well of Souls.
Once you close the Abyss cracks and receive the invite to fight Kulemak, you can fight the quest version of Kulemak and keep resurrecting him. Each time you defeat him after choosing to continue, you gain additional Abyss passive points.
Another tip notes that you can get six Abyss passives every time you beat him after reviving him. So instead of clearing every Abyss map, close the cracks, fight Kulemak, resurrect him several times, and get the remaining points much faster.
This is one of those things the game does not exactly shout at you, so it is easy to waste time doing extra maps you may not need.
How to Unlock Masters in the Atlas
There are three important masters to unlock in Patch 0.5 Atlas progression: Doryani, Jade, and Hilda.
Doryani is tied to Corrupted Nexuses. To unlock him, complete a Corrupted Nexus. To fully finish his progression, you need to complete multiple Corrupted Nexuses and the related Nexus boss. Your quest log should tell you exactly what step you are on.
Jado is tied to anomaly-style maps. For example, Jado Island counts as an anomaly map. To progress Jado fully, you need to complete four anomaly maps total. Again, check the quest log if you are not sure which ones you still need.
Hilda appears near the start of the Atlas. She should show up naturally, though some players have reported bugs or delays with her. Once she appears, go to her location and she unlocks.
These masters are worth unlocking because they provide strong progression options and additional Atlas systems. Since you will be exploring outside the city anyway while looking for more Patriarch and Matriarch encounters, you can work on master questlines at the same time.
Best Atlas Passive Points to Take First
You will eventually unlock every Atlas point, so your choices are not permanent in the long term. Still, your early points matter because they shape how smooth your mapping feels.
A strong early setup is to take Essence and Shrine nodes first.
Essence nodes are great because they help with crafting and can also become good currency. Shrines are strong because they give power, speed, utility, experience, and sometimes extra rewards while mapping.
After that, focus on natural map juice. Look for nodes that increase rare monsters, magic pack size, tablet effect, tablet quantity, and tablet rarity. These are strong because they apply broadly to your maps and improve loot without forcing you into one specific mechanic.
A simple trick is to use the Atlas search bar and type terms like rare or tablet, then grab the related nodes. Rare monster modifiers are especially strong for loot, while tablet nodes help improve the value of your mapping setup.
You can leave the middle city-focused section for later if you are mostly progressing outside the city after your first Arbiter of Divinity kill.
Do You Need to Complete Every Map in the Atlas?
No, you do not need to manually complete every map if your goal is efficient Atlas progression.
You can fully unlock the Atlas by killing Arbiter of Divinity five times total and using each kill to unlock a full section. This is much faster than completing 100 to 150 city maps one by one.
That said, manually clearing maps is still a valid option if you enjoy it or if you want to take your time. It is just not the recommended efficient route.
The best path is to rush the main quest, beat Arbiter of Divinity once, then explore outside the city for more Patriarch and Matriarch encounters while doing league mechanics and master quests along the way.
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