Guide to Early Atlas Progression and Passive Tree Builds
Introduction
Since the arrival of Necropolis, players have once again been challenged by a complex Passive Tree that demands attention to optimize endgame play. For newcomers, this can be just as daunting as the first time you hit the level-up button in early gameplay.
While not covering every possible mechanic combination, this guide highlights some favored setups across different playstyles.
With every node linked to map sustain reworked, the feel of map sustain is unpredictable. The atlas rework grants players unmatched control over which mechanics they focus on.
We strongly suggest using the atlas planner tool to explore options, as your priorities might differ. Here, you’ll find example trees combining mechanics that complement one another well. These should inspire, not dictate, your path, and experimenting is encouraged. Still, including some form of map sustain is advisable.
Early Atlas Progression
When starting your atlas journey, focus on maximizing the acquisition of higher-tier maps to speed up your progression. This foundational setup requires few nodes and can easily be adapted later to fit your preferred strategy. Early investment in essence nodes can ease gearing and progression at league start, but map sustain nodes should be your main priority.
This particular atlas setup leans heavily on map sustain, likely more than necessary, but it guarantees you have sufficient sustain. This is a strategy some players favor to avoid early decision fatigue, although it may not be the fastest route for advancing map tiers.
For beginners, we’ve broken the progression into manageable steps to follow:
Rush Kirac: Secure Kirac’s nodes early to unlock shaping bonuses.
Grab Shaping nodes: Focus on nodes that boost map shaping for better map outcomes.
Complete Map Sustain: Finish picking up remaining map sustain nodes from the full tree to ensure stability.
Alternative Early Atlas – Kirac/Shaping/Unwavering
This option allows a faster atlas progression but requires a good understanding of map equity. If you’re unfamiliar with that concept, the previous tree is a safer choice.
The steps here are:
Early Progression: Lay down a solid foundation with efficient nodes.
Acquiring Unwavering nodes: This bolsters map completion reliability.
Map Sustain: Reinforce your atlas’s ability to maintain mapping.
Kirac: Grab Kirac’s bonuses to enhance your shaping power.
Connected Maps: Unlock adjacent maps to smooth atlas navigation.
Atroz’s Lazy Farm – Expedition, Harvest, Shrines, Blue Altars
This setup caps around 111 points invested. After reaching this milestone, you can branch into scarabs, conqueror nodes, or other interests. Note that farming conqueror maps requires dropping Singular Focus, as these don’t synergize well.
Blight, Beast, Incursion, Red Altars
This tree combines multiple mechanics centered around map content variety and additional altar options to increase map value and quantity.
Breach, Delve, Shrines, Blue Altars, Quantity
This build focuses mainly on the nodes from the Delve master for the “Packed with Energy” buff, which increases your damage output. If you rely on minions, you can skip these nodes, as the buff doesn’t affect them.
Legion, Delve, Shrines, Scarabs, Blue Altars
A solid choice combining Legion mechanics with delve benefits and additional altar nodes for both map variety and sustainability.
Oops All Map Bosses
This specialized setup focuses heavily on increasing the frequency of map bosses, which can boost loot drops but also increases encounter difficulty.
Ghazzy’s Harbinger Farm
This strategy leverages explicit map modifiers for quantity and uses Harbinger scarabs. Note that scarabs are essential for this approach, and it requires a robust build since mobs can be tanky and dangerous.
The scarabs recommended are:
All Harbinger Scarabs plus Lineage Scarabs