In Path of Exile 2’s endgame, two layers sit on top of each other: Atlas setup (the tree, tablets, Instills) and map execution (which waystone you run and how you juice that one map). Mix those up with Path of Exile 1’s scarabs and sextants and the loop doesn’t transfer. PoE Source already ships the setup half. The next piece is a checkable execution layer.
Understanding Atlas setup: tree, tablets, Instills
Setup is what you decide before you click the Map Device.
- Atlas Passive Tree — notables that change what shows up: more waystones, denser league content, Fortress routing. Plan it on the Atlas viewer.
- Precursor Tablets — slotted on the Map Device next to the waystone, not on Towers. They apply to that one map, spend a use, and are gone when charges hit zero. How many slots you get depends on the waystone (a 6-mod map unlocks three). Towers still matter: they reveal Atlas and drop an extra tablet. They are not where you stack juice. 0.3.1 is the patch that moved them.
- Instill / Liquid Emotions — the extra juice on the waystone itself, not PoE 1 sextants.
Scarabs, sextants, Allflame, and fragment stacks are PoE 1. Don’t import them into a PoE 2 Atlas plan.
The execution layer: running the waystone
Once the tree is allocated, execution is the run:
- Pick the waystone that matches the tree (tier, mods, content you actually want)
- Slot tablets before you enter — you cannot tablet a map you’ve already attempted
- Instill when the strategy calls for it
- Track what you finished and what to run next
PoE Source’s farming strategies already describe juice-on-the-waystone loops. What’s missing is a checkable tracker: which maps tonight, which modifiers, when to stop.
Why execution still matters if the tree is “done”
A finished Atlas tree does not farm for you. Bad waystone choice, tablets left in the stash, or running content the tree doesn’t scale wastes the points. Execution is also the layer you can improve while the tree is still mid-progress — allocate what you have, run the matching maps, reallocate when the drops say so.
What ships today vs what we’re building
Live now:
- Atlas viewer for the tree
- Farming strategies for tablet + Instill loops
- Waystones & Tablets for Map Device rules
- PoE 2 Endgame lessons
Still in development: a checkable execution layer on the endgame companion (goals, tonight’s run, next milestone). `/poe2/endgame` stays a redirect until that rebuild is ready. Setup tools stay up in the meantime.
A simple loop
- Allocate the tree for the content you want. Don’t copy a PoE 1 scarab tree.
- Craft or pick a waystone, slot tablets, Instill if the strategy says so, then go in.
- After a session, adjust the tree from what actually dropped — not from a PoE 1 juice guide.
Summarized for PoE Source; see official sources for full details.
Sources: 0.3.1 Patch Notes — tablets left the Towers
On PoE Source: - Waystones & Tablets - Atlas viewer - Farming strategies - PoE 2 Endgame lessons
This post was drafted with AI assistance and reviewed before publication. Summarized for PoE Source — see official sources for full details.