PoE 2 - Atlas Passive Points and How to Get Them

DISCLAIMER

With Path of Exile 2 0.5 Return of the Ancients, the endgame has drastically changed and this article is largely defunct. For an updated guide, rather check out our Endgame Fortress Guide to learn where to acquire Atlas Passive Points

In order to acquire your first Atlas Passive Skill Points, you'll need to hunt out areas of Corruption on the Atlas.

To gain your first point, you'll need to locate an area of Corruption and clear the Nexus of Corruption on a Waystone Tier 1 with at least 4 modifiers (press Alt on the Waystone to check the number of mods - sometimes hybrid mods exist that make it appear as if the Waystone has more modifiers on it than it does).

After defeating the Map Boss in the area or final Rare Monster, a Corrupted Boss will spawn and defeating it will drop a Crystalline Core of Knowledge. Right-clicking this will grant Five Atlas Passive Skill Points.

Your Atlas Passive Tree can be accessed by pressing Ctrl+U

Important: Failing the Nexus of Corruption will mean you won't get the 5 Atlas Passive Skill Points, and you'll need to find a new area of Corruption to acquire them.

After completing the first Nexus of Corruption, all surrounding nodes will become Cleansed, which may add an additional modifier to the area, and cause the area to contain monsters twisted by the disruption of power in the area. These areas can also be farmed for a chance to acquire a Fracturing Orb.

Unlocking More Atlas Passive Points

After completing your first Corrupted Nexus, you'll likely wonder what you're supposed to do. Although there isn't a "right" way to play PoE 2, it is recommended you continue hunting down areas of Corruption to acquire more Atlas Passives. There isn't a perfect method to doing this, but you can scan the edges of your fog of war on your Atlas to try spot patches of red tendrils that indicate a Corrupted region.

To gain your second set of Atlas Points, you'll need to complete another Nexus of Corruption, but at Tier 3, then 6, then 9, 12 and finally 15, granting you a total of 30 Atlas Passive Skill Points.

Acquiring the Additional 10 Points

You can now acquire an additional 10 Atlas Passive Points by completing a Unique Map for the first time. Completing the same Unique Map for a second time will not grant you additional Atlas Passives, so you'll need to complete 5 different Unique Maps. You can identify Unique Maps from their distinctive orange icon on the Atlas overworld, which can be accessed by pressing U and clicking Endgame