In Path of Exile 2's endgame Atlas, you'll occasionally stumble upon Towers which are similar to other Waystones, but have special layouts and completing them reveals an area around them on the Atlas.
This guide covers PoE 2 Towers, Tablets and introduces players to the basics of juicing up their Maps (increasing the difficulty for improved reward)
Note: The words Waystone and Map are used interchangeably throughout this guide
Towers
After completing the Campaign, players will be introduced to the endgame Atlas system where they can run Waystones of increasingly higher Tier to face new challenges and find stronger items.
Within the Atlas, players will start noticing Towers poking through the fog of war with Waystones leading up to them. In order to reach these Towers, players will need to complete each Waystone preceding it
What Is a Tower?
Towers are special Waystones that can be completed to increase visibility around the Atlas. Completing a Tower will also guarantee a Precursor Tablet drop.
Prior to patch 0.3.1, Towers were used as a way to add additional content to nearby Maps by applying Tablets to the Tower itself. However, Tablets are now applied to the Waystone.
Layouts
Towers are similar to other Maps in that there are different kinds with different layouts. There are currently 5 different types of Towers in Path of Exile 2:
Bluff
Lost Towers
Mesa
Sinking Spire
Alpine Ridge
Each of these Tower layouts all have the same goal: reach the end, and activate the Precursor Beacon at the end, which will drop a Precursor Tablet and reveal an area around the Tower on the Atlas.
Precursor Tablets
Precursor Tablets are items that can be placed alongside Waystones to affect the content found within it. These Tablets can add specific endgame encounters, such as Expedition, Delirium, Breach and Ritual, but also increase the difficulty and reward within these Waystones.
Tablets have a limited number of uses, after which they will be permanently destroyed
Note: Previously, Tablets were applied to Towers, but this has changed after the Patch 0.3.1 update
You can place up to 3 Tablets alongside your Waystone, depending on how many modifiers the Waystone has.
0-2 Modifiers: 1 Tablet Slot
3-5 Modifiers: 2 Tablet Slots
6+ Modifiers: 3 Tablet Slots
Tablet Types and Modifiers
There are various types of Precursor Tablets in PoE 2 that can be used to add additional content, difficulty and reward to your Waystones. Multiples of the same Tablet type can be applied to a single Waystone, allowing players to maximise the loot from one specific mechanic, or players can opt for a variation of Tablets to gain a variety of boosts to various mechanics
12 to 18 Maps in Range contain Mirrors of Delirium
Expedition Precursor Tablet
12 to 18 Maps in Range contain Expedition Encounters
Ritual Precursor Tablet
12 to 18 Maps in Range contain Ritual Altars
Precursor Tablet
12 to 18 Maps in Range are Irradiated (+1 to Area Level)
Overseer Precursor Tablet
Up to 2 to 4 Maps in Range contain Bosses
Each of the above Precursor Tablets are also able to roll with modifiers, similar to other items, but can only be Magic Rarity, meaning they can only have one Prefix and one Suffix.
Note: Although there is a Tablet specifically called a "Precursor Tablet", all of the above are considered "Precursor Tablets"
All Precursor Tablets share the same Prefixes, but their Suffixes are more specific to their type
Precursor Tablet Prefixes
(10-15%) increased Rarity of Items found in your Maps
(3-7)% increased Quantity of Items found in your Maps
(3-7)% increased Pack Size in your Maps
(15-25)% increased Magic Monsters in your Maps
(10-15)% increased Gold Found in this Area
(5-10)% increased Experience Gain
When a Tablet with these modifiers affects a Waystone, not only will it be infused with the league mechanic associated with it, but each Map will also gain the bonuses of the explicit modifiers on the Tablet.
Precursor Tablet Suffixes
While the Prefixes on Tablets are designed to generically improve the loot in your Maps, the Suffixes specifically buff the loot found in the league mechanic associated with that Tablet
For example, a Breach Precursor Tablet has Suffixes that increase the amount of Magic or Rare monsters in Breaches. Expedition Tablets have Suffixes that increase the Quantity of Artifacts dropped by Expedition Monsters in your Maps. Overseer Tablet Suffixes can add Strongboxes, Shrines, Essences to your Maps and increase the Rarity and Quantity of loot dropped from Bosses.
Unique Tablets
Players can also find a series of Unique Tablets that can alter how league mechanics in their Waystones function. Each of these Tablets have a similar implicit modifier associated with their type and will add the listed mechanic to your Maps, as well as their special effect
Icon
Name and Type
Modifiers
Wraeclast Besieged
Breach
Breaches in your Maps have (-10-20)% Reduced Monster Density
Breaches in your Maps expand to at least 20 Metres in Radius
Breaches in your Maps remain open while there are alive Breach Monsters
Clear Skies
Delirium
Delirium Fog in your Maps never dissapates
Delirium Fog in your Maps increases (-10-10%) faster with distance from the Mirror
Forgotten by Time
Expedition
Expedition Monsters in your Maps spawn with half their Life missing
Runic Monsters in your Maps are duplicated
Freedom of Faith
Ritual
Favours at Ritual Altars in Area costs (10-15)% increased Tribute
Can Reroll Favours at Ritual Altars in your Maps twice as many times
Cruel Hegemony
Overseer
Map Bosses have 1 additional Modifier
Season of the Hunt
Overseer
Map Bosses are hunted by Azmeri Spirits
The Grand Project
Precursor
All Maps in Range can be accessed. Can only be applied to Towers. Single use.
Visions of Paradise
Precursor
Completing Irradiated Maps in Range removes Irradiation instead
Further Reading
If you'd like to learn more about Path of Exile 2's Endgame, check out some of our guides below!