Maps

Maps are the main type of endgame content in Path of Exile. By placing them in a map device, maps can be consumed to create a randomized instance in which monsters can be fought. Like equipment, they come in Normal, Magic, Rare, and Unique rarities, and can have their own special affixes which may make them more difficult, but also increases their potential rewards. Maps can also have quality, which can be improved with Cartographer's Chisel. Map drops are not affected by party size.

Players cannot use maps until the Epilogue after completing Act 10. After completing Picking Up the Pieces, a map device will be added to the player's hideout.

Atlas of Worlds

Main page: Atlas of Worlds

In the Epilogue, Officer Kirac will give you a short series of quests that lead to the construction of a new map device for your hideout. He will also give you an unidentified Tier 1 magic map to start.

After completing your first map, Kirac will show the player the Atlas of Worlds. The Atlas of Worlds visualizes how maps are connected to each other and form pathways between each map on the Atlas. There are four starting points, starting from the center of the Atlas. Maps are also grouped within 8 regions.

After some exploration, players will encounter Zana, Master Cartographer and a portal that leads to a Citadel, where Watchstones can be placed. Watchstones are dropped by the Conquerors that rule the Atlas, who can be challenged by running maps within their influence region enough times. Once a Watchstone is socketed to a Citadel, it will empower all maps in that region, increasing their map level and adding new maps to the region.

Only connected maps and maps previously completed can drop from a map area. In addition to these rules, this map drop pool only consists of maps that are currently visible on the atlas meaning maps that are removed from changing Watchstones are also removed from the map drop pool. There are exceptions that do not take your Atlas progression into account: During Zana's Atlas Missions which gives you a choice of maps to open, unique maps that may also drop their base type, and various league content that may drop maps.

When four Watchstones are socketed to one region, it increases the Awakening Level of the Atlas. Awakening Levels increase map and influenced item drop chances and difficulty for every map on the Atlas, as well as enabling Awakened Atlas completion marks for maps at a certain level. Running maps in an awakened zone will also draw out the Awakener, the leader of the Conquerors.

Regarding map drops, there is a 2x weighting for incomplete maps, and 4x weighting for adjacent maps, multiplicative.

Modifiers

Each (non-unique) map can have up to 3 prefixes and 3 suffixes, just like other items. Currency related to rarity also works the same, for example, an Orb of Alchemy will turn a basic map into a rare. Modifiers for maps change the properties of the map when one is in that map, thereby making it more difficult and (usually) resulting in increased item quantity for all drops on that map. High increased quantity also affects the drop rates of maps while in a particular map, so high modifiers will increase your chances at continuing to get map drops and finding higher level maps to use. Cartographer's Sextants can affect neighbouring maps. Maps can be made considerably more difficult by using a Watchstone that increases the tier of the item.

Tiers

There are 16 tiers of maps, each tier corresponding to an area level. The lowest tier drops during progression through the game and once inside the map, higher tier maps start dropping. Magic and rare monsters can drop maps that are +1 tier above and map bosses can drop +2 tiers above the map area the character is in, respectively.

Moving from one group of map tiers to the next often imposes a challenge as the higher tier maps become harder to sustain. Furthermore, mid-tier and top-tier maps introduce higher values for the mods they can roll, new mods that are more challenging, and combinations of mods that aren't allowed to coexist on low-tier maps.

Upgrades

If a player has three maps of the same type, these maps may be sold to a vendor to receive one map in exchange. This newly acquired map is of a map base one tier higher in the same region. Which map you get seems to be seeded by map, and different combinations of the same map can result in a different resulting map.

Unidentified Maps

It is possible to put unidentified maps into the map device. There is a +30% quantity bonus when running these maps, but even when you enter the map the specific modifiers to the map are not revealed to you, even though the overall quantity, rarity and pack size is. Some are easy to observe, burning or chilled ground are very obvious for example, but others are harder to know immediately (if there are enough obvious modifiers, together with the quantity, rarity and pack size you might be able to determine what the mods are, though). As such, it's recommended that you have a strong character before tackling such maps; otherwise the map could have many dangerous affixes to put your character in danger. Unidentified maps can be obtained as map drops, by corrupting an identified map or by vendoring 3x magic or rare maps of the same base type.

This bonus does not apply to unidentified unique maps.

Corrupted maps

Like most other items, maps can be corrupted using a Vaal Orb. One of the following effects will occur:

• No effect (other than adding the corrupted property).
• Increase by one map tier, changing the base type to one appropriate for the new tier, and randomizing the affixes. This is the only way to create a Vaal Temple Map.
• Reroll into a rare map with up to eight random affixes.
• Unidentify the item, retaining its affixes and quantity bonus. Unidentified magic or rare maps receive a 30% bonus quantity.

In addition to these effects, all bosses of corrupted maps have a chance to drop Sacrifice Vaal Fragments or Vaal Skill Gems.

A corrupted map can't be modified with Currency in any way, but effects from Zana's map device can still be crafted on it.

Other maps

Maps can drop as a Shaper or Elder influenced map. These maps contain additional Shaper or Elder enemies and can drop Shaper or Elder influenced items. They may also have the boss replaced with one of the Guardians of the Void or Elder Guardians, which drop Shaper and Elder map fragments when defeated.

Blighted Maps can drop from blights. They contain battles and items unique to the blight league.

Zana missions have a chance to pick Maps from the Synthesis league. They contain battles and items unique to the league.

Map fragments

Map fragments are items that can be used in a map device to open portals to various high level areas with the full set in the proper alignment. Doubles or triples of the same piece will not work. Fragments can also be placed with a regular map to increase map item quantity. Vaal Fragments can be used alone to open Vaal Side Areas.

Scarabs can also be used to add additional modifiers to the map, and Divine Vessels are used to capture certain boss souls to upgrade a Pantheon power.