PoE 2 Endgame Guide - Atlas, Maps, Waystones, & More

PoE 2 Endgame Explained
This article will summarize the key mechanics revealed in Path of Exile 2 Currency the Livestream, covering everything you need to know about the endgame.

Cruel Mode

If you played Path of Exile in the past, you'll know that the game, at one point, had only 3 playable Acts that you replayed 3 times before endgame (Normal, Cruel, and Merciless).

For Early Access, players will need to complete Cruel before continuing into the endgame. This will take your character to the expected level.

Normal Difficulty is expected to take approximately 25 hours to complete, with Cruel Mode being faster since your character will get stronger.

This already will be a ton of content for many players, but for those looking to really sink their time in, there will be a huge endgame system to progress and explore.

PoE 2 Endgame Overview - Atlas
Atlas & Maps

Once you reach the endgame, you will be introduced to the Atlas, an infinite map that expands in all directions. This will be the core endgame system that you explore.
Each small circle on the Atlas represents a portal to a Map. 
Blue portals showcase what Maps are currently accessible.
Grey Portals showcase what Maps you can progress toward.
Green Portals showcase what Maps you have already completed.
You'll traverse these maps, clearing the corruption that's affecting the world, fighting powerful monsters and obtaining powerful loot along the way.
Waystones
You might notice there's already a key difference in PoE 1 and PoE 2. In PoE 1, you would find maps as droppable items and could choose which Maps to run. In PoE 2, the maps are instead directly onto the Atlas, and you must traverse continuously.
So how do you enter these maps? And what determines the difficulty of these Maps?
This is where Waystones are introduced.

As with most things in PoE, you can also craft on Waystones.
Prefixes will increase the rewards of your maps, while Suffixes will increase the danger.
The more dangerous the Map, the more likely Waystones will drop (or Waystones of higher tier). Crafting on your Waystones is a crucial method to sustain your supply and obtain higher tier drops.

PoE 2 Map Mechanics - Artifacts, Strongboxes, Essences
In maps, you'll encounter a variety of monsters, bosses, and mechanics. Here's a rundown of three mechanics you'll see in maps by default.

Precursor Artifacts
Precursor Artifacts are the new name for Shrines. These are spots where monsters gather around. Clearing the monsters and pressing on the Artifact will grant you a temporary buff.

Strongboxes
Strongboxes are filled with loot and monsters. The Strongbox will also have special modifiers, buffing up the monsters or applying debuffs onto you upon opening them.

Clearing all the monsters that spawn from the Strongbox will drop the loot inside.

Essences
Last but certainly not least are Essences. You'll occasionally find monsters trapped within crystals. Releasing and slaying them will drop Essences, items used for crafting.

Essences will guarantee a type of Path of Exile 2 Trade modifier onto an item, making it extremely powerful for crafting the item you want.