How to Unlock Mapping in Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2’s main endgame pillar revolves around running maps or the Atlas of Worlds. The players will run maps and farm different areas with various encounters, hoping to get increasingly better items or currency to improve their build. Mapping unlocks several endgame pillars as well, and it is the core mechanic of Path of Exile 2’s endgame. Here’s how you can unlock mapping and maybe get a few Waystones in Path of Exile 2.

How to Unlock the Atlas of Worlds in Path of Exile 2

The Atlas of Worlds is the pinnacle endgame pillar of Path of Exile 2. You’ll farm almost any kind of item and gear through mapping, and players usually rush to unlock it to speed up their farm or unlock the full potential of their build.

The Atlas or mapping is unlocked by finishing Act 3 of the campaign on Cruel difficulty. Cruel difficulty opens after finishing Acts 1 to 3 for the first time and repeating it again with increased difficulty. This is set in place for early access because Act 4-6 isn’t out yet. It has been confirmed that once Acts 4 to 6 are out, this will change the progression system in which you unlock the mapping mechanic or the Atlas.

Once you have finished Act 3 on Cruel, you’ll still need to look for Waystones. Waystones are essentially your “maps” where you can place a Waystone in one of the nodes on the Atlas to open a portal to that specific node. You’ll start doing this for each node on the Atlas to complete your objectives and progressively get better loot from finishing more and more maps.

Related: Diablo 4 Players Should Know These Tips Before Trying Path of Exile 2

How to Get Waystones in Path of Exile 2

The way to get more Waystones is to keep defeating monsters. Most monsters have a chance of dropping a Waystone, with bosses giving you a slightly higher chance to acquire them. Each Waystone has a tier. They go from 1 all the way to 16. Each Waystone tier will have different monsters and the higher the map tier is, the stronger the monsters are. Higher-level monsters drop higher-tier Waystones and, at the same time, drop more Waystones in general.

So, the best way to farm Waystones is to actually finish the highest Waystone tier you have and start stockpiling them. In the beginning, you may experience a drought in Waystones, but you’ll soon have a lot of them once you start finishing higher-tier Waystones.

This puts a lot of pressure on your gear or character strength since you might have a problem scaling your character’s power to finish higher-tier Waystones. You might even end up failing them and waste a few Waystones.

While you are still farming away, you may also want to leave a stream open to get some Twitch drops during the Path of Exile 2 early access launch event.