PoE 2 - Map Boss Atlas Skill Points Guide - 0.2.0

DISCLAIMER

With Path of Exile 2 0.5 Return of the Ancients, this guide is effectively defunct. Check out our updated Endgame Atlas Guide and Fortress Guide to view the points that can now be acquired

Map Boss Skill Point Overview

Path of Exile 2 allows players to acquire Map Boss Skill Points to grant additional challenge and rewards from defeating Bosses in high area levels.

Bosses need to be slain under specific conditions and each successful kill will grant a player a Vanquisher's Book of Knowledge that grants Two Boss Atlas Passive Skill Points

Vanquisher's Books of Knowledge I, II, III, IV and V can be acquired by completing Map Bosses under the required conditions

Map Boss Difficulty

• Difficulty causes monsters to have increased damage and life, but also improves the items they drop
• Certain Bosses will gain new abilities and begin to drop exclusive items, such as Hand of Wisdom and Action
• Respawn Attempts on Pinnacle bosses will be reduced as Difficulty increases
• Difficulty above 4 has no additional effect

Map Boss Kill Conditions

In order to acquire your Map Boss Atlas Skill Points, you'll need to defeat a Map Boss under certain conditions.

• Area Level 79+ Map with at least 6 modifiers
• Area Level 80+ Map with at least 6 modifiers
• Area Level 79+ Anomaly Map Boss with at least 6 modifiers
• Area Level 79+ Citadel Map with at least 6 modifiers
• Defeat the Arbiter of Ash and complete the Pinnacle of Flame Quest

Anomaly Map Boss

Anomaly Map Bosses are special Maps that you find throughout the Atlas that need to be unlocked by meeting special conditions in adjacent Maps. These are also referred to as "Deadly Map Bosses" and the task required to unlock the Map can be seen by hovering over the Map icon in the Atlas

Area Level

The Area Level is determined by the Tier of your Waystone and Area Modifiers, and this can be increased in a few different ways.

Note: The word "Waystone" and "Map" are used interchangeably in both PoE 2 and this guide

• Waystone Tier - Waystone Tier 15 is Area Level 79

• Using a Vaal Orb on a Waystone has a chance to increase its Tier by 1, up to maximum of Tier 16 with a base Area Level of 80

• Irradiated (increases Area Level by +1) - acquired by using an Irradiated Tablet on a Tower

• Corrupted or Cleansed Modifier: "+1 to Monster Level of Area"

• Organised Forces Passive - "Non-Irradiated Areas with Map Bosses have +1 Level"

Note: Organised Forces has been reported to be bugged in certain Maps, specifically those affected by Corruption and isn't recommended for acquiring your Map Boss Skill Points. It can only be acquired after achieving 8 Boss Skill Points so has little use anyway

Adding Bosses to Maps

Maps have a chance to spawn on Maps in your Atlas, but can also be added to maps by using Overseer's Tablets on Towers

You will know if a Map contains a Boss by the small yellow and black Boss icon that appears above the Map along with the any other thing that that Map may contain

This Map has one thing and that thing is a Map Boss

Slay a Map Boss in...

Area Level 79

• Tier 15 Map
• Irradiated Tier 14 Map
• Tier 14 Map with +1 to Monster Area Level (Corrupted/Cleansed Modifier)
• Map must have at least 6 modifiers

Additionally:

• Slaying an Anomaly Boss under these conditions will grant +2 Passive Skill Points (a boss affected by Abyss, presumably)
• Slaying a Citadel Map Boss under the above conditions

Area Level 80

• Tier 15 Irradiated Map
• Tier 16 Map
• Tier 15 Map with +1 to Monster Area Level (Corrupted/Cleansed Modifier)
• Map must have at least 6 modifiers

Area Level 81+

The following is no longer necessary for acquiring these points, but may still be useful to know

Area Level 81

• Tier 15 Irradiated Map with +1 to Monster Area Level (Corrupted/Cleansed Modifier)
• Tier 16 Map with Irradiation or +1 to Monster Area Level

+2 Map Boss Difficulty must be allocated on the Map Boss Skill Tree

Area Level 82

• Tier 16 Map with Irradiation AND +1 to Monster Area Level (Corrupted/Cleansed Modifier)

+3 Map Boss Difficulty must be allocated on the Map Boss Skill Tree

Arbiter of Ash

Defeating The Arbiter of Ash and completing the Pinnacle of Flame Quest will grant you another 2 Map Boss Skill Points. It's entirely likely that you can complete this before some of the previous points - just make sure to not make things unnecessarily difficult by increasing the Map Boss Difficulty higher than it needs to be

If you're struggling to defeat the Arbiter of Ash, check out our guide here: Arbiter of Ash Guide

If you're looking for a build to help you destroy the endgame, check out our Massive List of Builds made by some of the best Path of Exile 2 creators