PoE Sanity

I don't like the Infinite Atlas... so I tried to fix it

By ZizaranWatch videoDuration: PT10M45S

Summary

  • Player Agency in PoE 2: Path of Exile 2 currently lacks the player agency found in PoE 1, where players can choose specific map layouts rather than being forced into paths the game dictates.
  • Biome Selection Proposal: A suggested compromise where clicking a biome node offers a choice between three random maps within that biome, rather than a single forced map.
  • Incentivizing “Bad” Maps: Instead of allowing players to skip undesirable maps, the game should provide unique reasons to run them, such as map-specific buffs, target-farmable uniques, or unique crafting rewards.
  • Vaal Map Enhancements: Maps like Vaal Factory or Molten Vault could incorporate rewards from the Vaal Temple, such as double-corruption chances or quality-related crafting.
  • Biome RNG and Scale: Encouragement for procedurally generated biome sizes, ranging from small patches to massive areas covering dozens of maps, to create a sense of discovery similar to Minecraft.

Endgame Agency and the Biome System

In the upcoming 0.5 league of Path of Exile 2, a significant point of discussion is the lack of player agency in the endgame compared to Path of Exile 1. In the original game, players can choose the exact layout they want to run. In Path of Exile 2, the current system often forces players to run specific maps to progress. While the biome system is a positive addition, there is a need for a healthy compromise that respects the new structure while giving players more choices.

The Biome Choice Proposal

The current map nodes, such as a Seepage map, could be evolved into “Biome Nodes.” Instead of the node representing a single map, it could represent a “Swamp Biome” containing 10 to 12 different maps.

  1. Clicking the biome node presents a choice between three random maps (e.g., Sump, Backwash, and Mire).
  2. To minimize “extra clicking,” the system could remember your favorite or previous choice.
  3. This preserves the biome-based progression while allowing players to avoid maps they find objectively terrible.

Incentivizing “Bad” Maps through Mechanics

Maps like Mire or Sun Temple are often disliked due to their layouts. Rather than letting players ignore them, there should be specific reasons to choose them:

  • Target Farming: Utilizing divination cards (confirmed to be coming in PoE 2) to allow players to farm specific rewards in certain layouts.
  • Map-Specific Events: Incorporating mechanics similar to the bells in Cliffs, where interacting with the environment provides extra loot.
  • Temporary Buffs: A 30% chance for a map to spawn with a significant buff, such as increased rarity, magic find, damage bonuses, or faster movement to compensate for a poor layout.
  • Adjacent Map Buffs: Completing a specific ritual in a map could buff a nearby map on the Atlas.

Target Farming and Unique Drop Pools

To give maps like Sun Temple more value, map bosses should have their own drop pools.

  • Exclusive Uniques: Similar to how the Gorgon’s Gaze is tied to the Pillars of Arun in PoE 1, specific maps could have exclusive drops.
  • Global Drop Weighting: If creating unique-specific items for every boss is too much effort, certain global uniques could simply have a much higher drop rate from specific map bosses. This gives a clear reason to run a “bad” map when you find it on your Atlas.

Leveraging Vaal Thematics

For Vaal-themed maps like Val Factory or Molten Vault, rewards could be tied to existing Vaal mechanics:

  • Chances for double-corrupting items.
  • Currency rewards like Vaal Orbs.
  • High-risk quality upgrades (e.g., increasing quality with a chance to brick or corrupt the item).

The Problem with Skipping Content

Alternative suggestions like using Kingsmarch to “terraform” or build expeditions between nodes have been discussed. While these are interesting, they might lead to players skipping every “bad” map entirely. The goal should be to make every map worth running for different reasons, rather than facilitating a meta where players only run layouts like Sandspit or Strand.

RNG and Biome Scale Variety

There is a massive opportunity to capture the “magic of discovery” found in games like Minecraft. Currently, biomes on the Atlas feel somewhat uniform.

  • Variable Biome Sizes: Biomes (like the Abyss biome) should have randomized scales. While one player might find an Abyss biome covering five maps, another might discover a massive area covering 80 maps.
  • Rarity and Excitement: Finding a “mega-biome” should feel like a rare, high-reward event that significantly impacts currency generation and player strategy for several hours of gameplay.

Key References