The Atlas of Worlds is a central component of Path of Exile 2’s endgame content and POE2 Currency serves as the primary map progression system. It is where players spend the majority of their time after completing the main story, delving into maps, encountering difficult bosses, and pursuing some of the most rewarding loot in the game. The Atlas provides an open-world map system where you can customize your farming experience, choose the regions and zones you want to explore, and shape your path based on the loot you seek. Here's a breakdown of how the Atlas works, what it offers, and how to navigate it effectively.

1. Overview of the Atlas of Worlds
The Atlas of Worlds is a vast, interconnected web of regions, each represented by a map tile on the Atlas. These regions contain maps that you can enter and explore. As you progress, you’ll unlock new regions, complete challenges, and face off against some of the most difficult bosses in the game. Each map in the Atlas can contain various types of content such as rare monsters, bosses, and endgame mechanics like Delve, Legion, Breach, Abyss, Shaper, and Elder encounters.

In Path of Exile 2, the Atlas is divided into tiers, starting from low-tier maps and progressing to high-tier maps that provide increasingly better loot. You will need to conquer these maps and earn progress toward more powerful regions and bosses.

2. Atlas Regions and Map Progression
The Atlas is made up of regions, and each region corresponds to a specific set of maps. These regions are linked together, and you will need to complete certain objectives in each to unlock the next tier of maps. Each region will offer you different types of content and challenges, and the more you progress, the more complex and rewarding the content becomes.

Map Tiers and Difficulty
Maps in Path of Exile 2 are organized into tiers, with higher-tier maps providing more difficult challenges and better loot. These maps are also tiered by level, meaning the higher the map tier, the stronger the monsters and bosses you’ll face.

Low-tier maps (Tier 1-5) are generally easier to complete and provide entry-level rewards.
Mid-tier maps (Tier 6-10) offer more complex encounters and better chances at higher-value loot.
High-tier maps (Tier 11-16) contain some of the most challenging encounters, and farming these maps is key to reaching the endgame.
As you progress through maps and complete the challenges within each region, you will unlock new parts of the Atlas, including more difficult boss fights, additional modifiers, and the ability to use higher-tier maps.

3. Atlas Influence: Shaper and Elder
Two powerful entities, The Shaper and The Elder, have a significant impact on the maps you farm. These entities influence specific regions on the Atlas and can drop valuable loot.

Shaper Influence:
The Shaper’s influence on maps creates special rewards and higher-tier bosses. Shaper-influenced maps have a greater chance to drop Shaper items, which have powerful modifiers. Shaper bosses in maps are some of the hardest bosses in the game but also offer significant rewards, such as high-end crafting materials and unique items.

Elder Influence:
Similarly, Elder-influenced maps drop Elder items, which offer unique modifiers that can be used for crafting and character progression. Elder influence introduces another layer of difficulty and challenge to the Atlas, as Elder bosses are capable of transforming maps in unique ways.

Both of these influences offer a chance to access special loot, so as you progress through the Atlas, targeting these influenced maps will help you acquire powerful rewards.

4. Unlocking and Completing the Atlas
To fully unlock and progress in the Atlas, you need to:

Complete Map Challenges: Each map contains challenges, such as killing bosses or defeating monsters under certain conditions. Completing these challenges will reward you with progress on your Atlas.

Defeat Atlas Bosses: At the end of each map region, you’ll encounter powerful bosses. These bosses drop some of the best loot and can be used to unlock additional regions on the Atlas. The final bosses of the Atlas progression are often some of the hardest fights in the game and may require you to complete multiple steps to reach them.

Shape the Atlas: As you complete maps and defeat the Shaper and Elder, you will eventually Shape your Atlas. Shaping allows you to manipulate the maps, reroll their rewards, and influence the content you encounter.

Tier 16 Maps and Endgame Content: As you progress, you will gain access to high-tier maps. These maps unlock endgame bosses and the most challenging content in the game, where you can farm high-tier loot, currency, and unique items.

5. Utilizing The Atlas and Map Farming
Once you unlock your Atlas and begin farming, there are several strategies you can use to optimize your rewards:

Focus on League Mechanics:
The Atlas also features several league mechanics that spawn within certain maps. These mechanics provide unique loot opportunities, including special items and currency. Examples of league mechanics that can appear in maps are:

Delve: A mine system that rewards fossils, resonators, and crafting materials.
Legion: An encounter that spawns armies of enemies and offers valuable rewards.
Breach: An encounter that creates portals leading to high-difficulty content with chances for rare loot.
Abyss: Adds a series of monsters and rewards, including Abyssal Jewels.
Map Mods and Scarabs:
Map modifiers and Scarabs can further customize your maps, adding additional difficulty, increased rewards, or special mechanics like Legion, Abyss, or Delve encounters. Scarabs are consumable items that can influence the content of the map, offering more diverse loot or harder challenges. Using these items strategically will help you maximize your farming efficiency.

6. Endgame Bosses and Challenges
Once you’ve progressed through the Atlas, you will be able to challenge some of the game’s most difficult bosses. These include:

The Shaper
The Elder
The Arbiter of Ash
These pinnacle bosses drop some of the rarest and most valuable loot in Path of Exile 2, including high-end gear, crafting materials, and other rewards that will push your character’s progression to the maximum.

7. Conclusion
The Atlas of Worlds is a complex and rewarding system in Path of Exile 2. It serves as your main gateway to the endgame, offering a multitude of regions to explore, bosses to defeat, and loot to collect. By understanding the layout of the Atlas, focusing on the right zones, and utilizing tools like map modifiers and Scarabs, you can optimize your loot farming and enjoy the thrilling challenges the game offers. Whether you're pursuing powerful loot, crafting materials, or conquering bosses, the Atlas of Worlds is the key to progressing in Path of Exile 2 Currency the endgame and unlocking all of Path of Exile 2's content.