This article explores some of the best Atlas Passive Skills and how they fare into the current meta.
Path of Exile: Ritual is the most recent League for GGG’s very successful ARPG, and it came with one of the best Atlas expansions in the game’s history. Of course, it’s Echoes of the Atlas. This expansion, while building on pre-existing lore and game elements, also adds a lot of new content for PoE fans to explore and play. Among the most anticipated changes this expansion has brought into the game, there are the Atlas Passive Skills. These are visually presented in a very similar fashion to Ascendancy classes and their perks, but rather than influencing the character, they influence the maps in the area of their domain and corresponding Atlas regions.
10. That Which You Seek
This node is very straightforward in what it does. It grants Maps within the Tirn's End region of the Atlas a 10% chance to contain a mirror of Delirium. This is very significant, however, due to Delirium being a quite good and reliable source of loot in Path of Exile. The 10% chance is additive with whatever other source of the same perk there may be, which means that players can consistently find mirrors of Delirium scattered around the maps they explore. If Delirium is among Zana’s mods, though, this extra 10% becomes redundant and thus not an overall no-brainer, while still being a solid choice for all those Leagues that won’t be featuring Delirium among Zana’s options. Alternatively, players that are not willing to spend a lot of currency to have it layered on top of other modifiers Maps could simply grab this perk.
What Makes That Which You Seek Great:
- The fact that it grants a small, albeit reliable chance for areas to spawn mirrors of Delirium
- The synergy it has with other Delirium-related passives, like Greater Forces and The Singular Eternity
That Which You Seek details:
- Areas have 10% additional chance to contain a mirror of Delirium
9. Rich Veins
Rich Veins, much like That Which You Seek, is a 2-point node and it is located in the Lex Proxima region. What makes it an exceptional choice is that it greatly boosts Delve-related gameplay, especially if paired with either Packed with Energy or Sulphite Infusion. Even alone, Rich Veins does an incredible job at consistently providing a lot of Voltaxic Sulphite to players that like to Delve in Path of Exile. The node has obvious synergies with Master Missions from Niko (the Delve master) and Sulphite Scarabs because both grant a specific number of Voltaxic Sulphite Veins spawning within a map. Combining more sources of Sulphite Veins with the Rich Veins node can potentially refill the whole Sulphite bar in a single map or two, depending on chance and how much the Sulphite Capacity has been increased through spending Azurite at Niko’s camp. Delve is a great source for spectres and loot, meaning investing 2 points into this node is definitely worth it for many builds.
What Makes Rich Veins Great:
- Its ability to potentially refill Sulphite Capacity extremely fast, allowing for more Delve play
- The evident benefits from running it together with Sulphite Scarabs and Niko Missions
Rich Veins details:
- Voltaxic Sulphite Veins and Chests in Areas have 10% chance to contain double Sulphite
- Voltaxic Sulphite Veins and Chests in Areas contain 20% increased Sulphite
8. Emblematic
Emblematic is one of those Atlas Passive Nodes that are simply nice to have. It’s by no means the greatest, and in the end, it all comes down to chance - or, as some may call it, RNG. What it does is granting an extremely small chance to turn any Timeless Splinter obtained from Legion encounters or rewards into full Timeless Emblems. For Legion-heavy players, this is pure gold, as each Legion encounter can grant even dozens of Splinters, with every single one of them potentially becoming a Timeless Emblem. Emblems are used for single Legion encounters with the corresponding faction, or they can be used for two-ways, three-ways, four-ways or even five-ways Legion encounters where several factions all appear simultaneously, posing an exponentially severe threat to the player and to each other. Legion can also be a great way to farm currency and specific Unique Items only obtainable in Legion-specific encounters.
What Makes Emblematic Great:
- Its synergy with the related Legion node by the name of War Supplies, overall increasing the number of Splinters (and, potentially, Emblems) gathered with each run
- The fact that it can be used with Legion Scarabs and in Maps like Strand or Dunes
Emblematic details:
- Timeless Splinters dropped by Legion Monsters in Areas have 1% chance to drop as Timeless Emblems instead
7. Resource Reallocation
Resource Reallocation is a node that can be found in the Glennarch Cairns Passive Tree. It augments the experience for players willing to play Incursion League and its Vaal-themed encounters more often and more efficiently. In fact, this perk makes it so that non-resident Architects have a fair chance of adding another Tier to the Room the surviving Architect creates in the present Temple of Atzoatl. What does it mean “non-resident”, though? It refers to those Architects (the mini bosses within each Temporal Incursion) who are not currently constructing Rooms in the Temple in present times. This node makes farming the Temple much more fun because countless times a single Room can be left there at Tier 2 when players actually needed it to be Tier 3. This perk works particularly well with Contested Development, allowing for killed resident Architects to transfer their Room Tiers to the surviving Architect.
What Makes Resource Reallocation Great:
- This perk expands the possible strategies for farming Incursion and building the Temple, especially if paired with Contested Development
- It is a great way to reliably increase the number of higher Tier Rooms within the present Temple
Resource Reallocation details:
- Killing non-resident Architects in Areas has 50% chance to add an additional Upgrade Tier to the surviving Architect's Room
6. Ominous Arrival
This little node here is one of the most reliable ways of adding Harbinger encounters to each Map played. As a matter of fact, Ominous Arrival grants all areas within the Valdo’s Rest region of the Atlas to have an extra Harbinger encounter. This goes on top of every other Harbinger-related buff there may be, and it simply makes every Map opened with no other Harbinger modifiers to at least contain one. Harbinger was not very popular when it first launched, alongside patch 3.0.0. However, gamers have ever since started loving it increasingly thanks to all the tweaks and fixes GGG brought to Path of Exile. This node is especially worthwhile when combined with Diplomatic Escort, which entails that a Harbinger in the area is joined by reinforcements. These nodes provide a great way to play more Harbinger in present days when the League became sort of marginal.
What Makes Ominous Arrival Great:
- The fact that it guarantees a Harbinger encounter in each area within the Valdo’s Rest region
- The fact that more Harbinger encounters mean more Harbinger-specific Orbs, which are vastly appreciated by the community
Ominous Arrival details:
- Areas contain an extra Harbinger
5. Gatekeepers
When it comes to Breach-related content, GGG simply cannot go wrong. It was one of the most loved Leagues in the history of Path of Exile, and it was a turning point for PoE and both its future Leagues and Expansions. Gatekeepers is a great node, as it increases the chance for Breach Bosses (meaning, Breach Lords) to spawn within each Breach opened in areas of the Lex Proxima region. Not only that, but it also makes Breach Lords drop double Breach Splinters. On top of that it grants even one more bonus, allowing players to have a 5% chance to loot full Breachstones when killing Breach Bosses. This node can be picked alone, as it’s a 2-point node, but it would be even better with Within Their Grasp – a node that grants another 5% chance for Breach Lords to drop a full Breachstone, while also having a chance to make said Breachstones Charged, Enriched or Pure. These are very valuable and make for fantastic Breach farming sessions.
What Makes Gatekeepers Great:
- The fact that it improves the chance to obtain Breach Splinters and Breachstones significantly
- The fact that it can be paired with Breach Scarabs to guarantee lots of Splinters each run
Gatekeepers details:
- Breaches in Areas have 100% increased chance to contain a boss
- Breach Bosses in Areas drop double Breach Splinters
- Breach Bosses Defeated in Areas have 5% chance to drop a Breachstone
4. Inside Job
Inside Job is a 4-point node found in the Heist Skilltree within the Lira Arthain region of the Atlas. It is, simply put, one of the best nodes overall for Heist fans. In fact, it grants a decent chance for Blueprints dropped in the area to be fully Revealed, while also drastically increasing the chance for Smuggler’s Caches to drop Blueprints in the first place. This is huge, and it goes a long way in saving time and currency to better play an already very rewarding League. Heist is one of the go-to Leagues for players who want to farm a lot of Exalted Orbs and other valuable items, and as such it requires a bit of investment in the form of Rogue’s Markers and Reveals from Gianna – one of the thieves whose company players might enjoy from time to time while completing a Heist. This node is awesome, and it is considered by some mandatory, even.
What Makes Inside Job Great:
- Its ability to make Heist even more rewarding because of the amount of time and Rogue’s Markers saved in the long run
- The fact that players will obtain even a larger number of Blueprints, which are the true juice of the Heist League
Inside Jobs details:
- Blueprints that drop in Areas have 10% chance to be fully Revealed
- Smuggler's Caches in areas have 100% increased chance to drop Blueprints
3. Big Game
Bestiary was a controversial League, to say the least when it was first launched. Ever since, it was fully optimized and well implemented into Path of Exile, alongside its iconic Master – Einhar. Big Game is a game-changing node that can be found on the Bestiary Skilltree in Tirn’s End. What it does is granting a fairly high chance for Red Beasts to be appearing in pairs, and it also grants a high chance for Yellow Beasts in the area to be replaced by Red Beasts. This makes farming for rare Beasts so much easier, be it for crafting purposes, for Bestiary Boss encounters or for selling purposes. This node is made even better by its follow-up node, Great Migration. It grants a small chance to replace all monsters in the area with Beasts while on a mission for Einhar. Of course, this means lots of currency for hunters brave enough to dare grab both nodes.
What Makes Big Game Great:
- Its synergy with Bestiary Missions, farming a lot of Yellow and Red Beasts
- The fact that it can be a great source for lots of Unique Items early on, meaning decent currency from trades or finding those items players need the most
Big Game details:
- Red Beasts in Areas have 15% chance to appear in Pairs
- Yellow Beasts in Areas have 30% chance to be replaced with Red Beasts
2. Paths Not Taken
Paths Not Taken is another great node that can allow players to find Harvest more often, as well as useful Maps for completing the Atlas sooner. Another purpose this node can serve is to make Unique Maps more accessible via Zana’s missions. These Maps are often either very expensive to get or quite worthwhile to complete for the loot. Sometimes, even both. Getting them for free every once in a while can be an awesome way of making unexpected currency while playing the game. Finally, this perk can also mean more Guardian Maps or more Synthesis Maps, further expanding the selection from Zana’s missions. This is an evergreen node, as its utility stays unchanged earlier on and in the end-game. Grabbing Paths Not Taken can be very rewarding and quite a game-changing experience, overall.
What Makes Paths Not Taken Great:
- The fact that it guarantees much-needed variety to the selection of Maps normally available in Zana missions
- Its effectiveness at every stage of the game, and its time-saving potential to reduce the number of trades needed to get specific Maps
Paths Not Taken details:
- Zana Missions in Areas have double the number of Map options
- Zana Missions in Areas have additional Maps that can appear in the Map options
1. The Grove’s Call
The Grove’s Call is simply an awesome node, even not considering its follow-up nodes. It’s found in the Harvest Skilltree within the Haewark Hamlet region. Considering how impactful Harvest is – or was, seeing how GGG will nerf it in the upcoming 3.14 patch – this node should not be skipped. In fact, Harvest provides a great source of crafting in Path of Exile. Specifically, it grants players the ability to craft items in a deterministic way, removing or adding specific Affixes to turn even F-tier items into something amazing, potentially. What The Grove’s Call does is, it grants a small chance to find The Sacred Grove in areas within its corresponding region. This is huge, as there are not many ways to find Harvest in Maps. The nodes depending on it are also equally powerful: Nature’s Favour makes Plants Harvested in the area give the rarest 2 chosen Crafting Options, while Wild Fruit makes farming for Tier 4 Plants so much easier. These three are probably the best nodes out there for people who are into crafting their own items rather than farming currency to buy them.
What Makes The Grove’s Call Great:
- Its incredible synergy with its follow-up nodes, making Harvest more common and even more rewarding
- The fact that it does something very rarely achievable, which is granting a chance to spawn The Sacred Grove in Maps
The Grove’s Call details:
- Areas have +5% chance to contain The Sacred Grove
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