[Feedback] Continental Atlas: Why Atlas Needs Physical Borders

Infinite Atlas is a bad design because it feels like a hollow simulation rather than a living world. Instead of a distinguished landmass, we’re left with a soulless space that strips away Wraeclast’s geography... not to mention it leads to decision paralysis and no meaningful progression. A better design is a finite Atlas, with real territories and physical borders. The continental layout provides structured, thematic, and meaningful progression. Details below:

Continental Atlas Layout
Atlas map interface now shows five large continents. Progression is not linear; you can choose which continent to focus on. Each continent would have a separate progression system, with varying environments and biomes that are linked thematically, such as:

• Aethel Isles (forest, water, ancient civilizations, ruins)
• Vastiri Steppes (grasslands, desert, sand-swept cities)
• Lyran Marsh (sunken temple, wetlands, forested-bayou)
• Borean Tundra (arctic tundra, snowy mountain ranges)
• Kalguur Gorge (volcanic, molten chasm, sulphuric mines)

Continental Starting Locations
Each continent has several starting locations the player can choose from.

Continental Passive Trees
Each continent has its own dedicated passive tree. Points for these are earned by running maps within that continent only. These trees focus on empowering the continent's themes and content within.

Continental Waystones
Waystones now have an implicit tag for the continent they belong to (e.g., Aethel Isles Waystone), and work for maps within that continent only thus replacing the single, global map tiering system.

Continental Pinnacle Bosses
Each continent has its own Pinnacle Boss, a unique-themed final boss.

What happens when you complete all nodes on a continent?

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FruitLord#0833 wrote:

What happens when you complete all nodes on a continent?

Great question, when you complete all map nodes and defeat the continent's pinnacle boss, you travel to the next continent. Each continent would be fairly massive in scope and would take some time to complete. All continents in total would provide several hundred hours of mapping content.

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CharlesJT#7681 wrote:

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FruitLord#0833 wrote:

What happens when you complete all nodes on a continent?

Great question, when you complete all map nodes and defeat the continent's pinnacle boss, you travel to the next continent. Each continent would be fairly massive in scope and would take some time to complete. All continents in total would provide several hundred hours of mapping content.

Why not keeping them rerunnable and level only depends on waystone level like it is now. And all continents available from the start with some starting map, so you can pick whatever you like, then explore through the continent up to its boss.

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Nikuksis#6962 wrote:

And all continents available from the start with some starting map, so you can pick whatever you like, then explore through the continent up to its boss.

Yeah those are good ideas. I think it would be cool if each continent has several starting location maps to choose from. From there, the player would explore through the entire continent up to defeating its boss. Then traveling to the next continent and so forth. Updated OP with your idea of starting maps.

Personally I think PoE1's atlas worked just fine. They could've reintroduced Delve league that the current atlas is based on, minus the increasing difficulty the further out you go from the starting point.

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Pizzarugi#6258 wrote:

Personally I think PoE1's atlas worked just fine. They could've reintroduced Delve league that the current atlas is based on, minus the increasing difficulty the further out you go from the starting point.

I personally like the idea of exploring different continents, with each continent having different themes, biomes, environments, hazards, content, etc. Guess its just personal preference.

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Pizzarugi#6258 wrote:

Personally I think PoE1's atlas worked just fine. They could've reintroduced Delve league that the current atlas is based on, minus the increasing difficulty the further out you go from the starting point.

I don't like poe1 atlas having random maps not linked thematically and the links on the atlas also means not much, so it basically just a set of random maps, and all "progress" is just completing 115 of 115 available.
In that regard i like current poe2 atlas way more with the exploration feeling, rare maps appear in sight, biomes etc.

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Nikuksis#6962 wrote:

basically just a set of random maps, and all "progress" is just completing 115 of 115 available.

In addition to having continents with specific themes and biomes, I also like the idea of replacing the single global map tiering system with a new continental map tiering system with each continent having its own progression system and dedicated passive tree.

I think having dedicated passive trees for each continent would make them feel more impactful.

The problem with the continent suggestion is, if you don't like one or two biomes and the next continent happens to roll either of them, you're absolutely screwed until you complete it and find another.

Let's assume I hate mountain biomes. Layouts are bad for expedition, bosses are generally unfun, very few rewarding unique maps spawn, whatever. Am I supposed to just suck it up and trudge through the entirety of the continent until I can kill the pinnacle?

This is why I prefer the PoE1 atlas. If there are certain maps I like, I can target farm those and not be forced to run through ones I don't.