Mastering Map Progression: How Waystone Tiers Work & Level Up
Đã gửi: Thứ 6 Tháng 6 13, 2025 11:23 pm
In Path of Exile 2, Waystones are the fundamental items that power your access to endgame maps within the Atlas of Worlds. Mastering their tiers and progression is key to advancing through the game’s expansive endgame content, where you face increasingly difficult monsters and reap greater rewards.
What Are Waystones and Their Tiers?
Waystones come in 16 tiers, ranging from Tier 1 to Tier 16. Each tier corresponds to the level and difficulty of monsters you will encounter in the maps unlocked by that Waystone. Lower-tier Waystones open maps with weaker monsters suitable for early endgame progression, while higher-tier Waystones unlock challenging maps with tougher enemies and better loot. Waystones can be normal, magic, or rare, with higher rarities granting additional modifiers that affect map difficulty and rewards.
How to Progress Through Waystone Tiers
Progression starts by running Tier 1 Waystones and completing the associated maps. Each completed map unlocks adjacent maps on the Atlas, gradually expanding your options. To move to higher tiers, you need to acquire and use higher-tier Waystones, which unlock maps with stronger monsters and better rewards. This tier progression is essential for accessing the full breadth of endgame content.
Upgrading Waystones
You can upgrade Waystones in two main ways:
Reforging Bench:
After reaching Act 3 and defeating The Forgemaster, you unlock the Reforging Bench. Here, you can combine three Waystones of the same tier to create one Waystone of the next tier. For example, three Tier 1 Waystones combine into one Tier 2 Waystone. The resulting Waystone starts as normal rarity and can be further enhanced.
Adding Modifiers with Currency:
Similar to gear, Waystones can be upgraded using crafting orbs.
An Orb of Transmutation upgrades a normal Waystone to magic, adding one modifier.
An Orb of Augmentation adds a second modifier to magic Waystones.
A Regal Orb upgrades a magic Waystone to rare, adding a third modifier.
Exalted Orbs can add up to six total modifiers on rare Waystones.
Modifiers can increase monster pack size, item rarity, Waystone drop chance, and other effects that make maps more rewarding and challenging.
Strategic Considerations
When upgrading and using Waystones, it’s important to balance difficulty and rewards. Adding too many challenging modifiers without adequate gear or build strength can lead to failed runs. Focus on modifiers that increase Waystone drop chance and monster density to sustain your mapping and farming loop. Also, investing Atlas skill points into nodes that boost Waystone tier chances and quantity can accelerate progression.
Using Waystones
To enter a map, place a Waystone into the map device in your hideout or town. This opens six portals to the map, each representing one run. Completing maps unlocks new adjacent maps, and death within a map ends that run’s portals, so careful planning and preparation are essential.
Waystones are the backbone of Path of Exile 2’s endgame progression. Starting from Tier 1, players upgrade Waystones by combining multiples at the Reforging Bench and enhancing them with crafting orbs to add modifiers. Higher tiers unlock tougher maps with better rewards, while modifiers allow customization of map difficulty and loot. Mastering Waystone tiers and upgrades, alongside strategic use of Atlas skill points and modifiers, is crucial for advancing through the challenging and rewarding endgame content of Path of Exile 2.
What Are Waystones and Their Tiers?
Waystones come in 16 tiers, ranging from Tier 1 to Tier 16. Each tier corresponds to the level and difficulty of monsters you will encounter in the maps unlocked by that Waystone. Lower-tier Waystones open maps with weaker monsters suitable for early endgame progression, while higher-tier Waystones unlock challenging maps with tougher enemies and better loot. Waystones can be normal, magic, or rare, with higher rarities granting additional modifiers that affect map difficulty and rewards.
How to Progress Through Waystone Tiers
Progression starts by running Tier 1 Waystones and completing the associated maps. Each completed map unlocks adjacent maps on the Atlas, gradually expanding your options. To move to higher tiers, you need to acquire and use higher-tier Waystones, which unlock maps with stronger monsters and better rewards. This tier progression is essential for accessing the full breadth of endgame content.
Upgrading Waystones
You can upgrade Waystones in two main ways:
Reforging Bench:
After reaching Act 3 and defeating The Forgemaster, you unlock the Reforging Bench. Here, you can combine three Waystones of the same tier to create one Waystone of the next tier. For example, three Tier 1 Waystones combine into one Tier 2 Waystone. The resulting Waystone starts as normal rarity and can be further enhanced.
Adding Modifiers with Currency:
Similar to gear, Waystones can be upgraded using crafting orbs.
An Orb of Transmutation upgrades a normal Waystone to magic, adding one modifier.
An Orb of Augmentation adds a second modifier to magic Waystones.
A Regal Orb upgrades a magic Waystone to rare, adding a third modifier.
Exalted Orbs can add up to six total modifiers on rare Waystones.
Modifiers can increase monster pack size, item rarity, Waystone drop chance, and other effects that make maps more rewarding and challenging.
Strategic Considerations
When upgrading and using Waystones, it’s important to balance difficulty and rewards. Adding too many challenging modifiers without adequate gear or build strength can lead to failed runs. Focus on modifiers that increase Waystone drop chance and monster density to sustain your mapping and farming loop. Also, investing Atlas skill points into nodes that boost Waystone tier chances and quantity can accelerate progression.
Using Waystones
To enter a map, place a Waystone into the map device in your hideout or town. This opens six portals to the map, each representing one run. Completing maps unlocks new adjacent maps, and death within a map ends that run’s portals, so careful planning and preparation are essential.
Waystones are the backbone of Path of Exile 2’s endgame progression. Starting from Tier 1, players upgrade Waystones by combining multiples at the Reforging Bench and enhancing them with crafting orbs to add modifiers. Higher tiers unlock tougher maps with better rewards, while modifiers allow customization of map difficulty and loot. Mastering Waystone tiers and upgrades, alongside strategic use of Atlas skill points and modifiers, is crucial for advancing through the challenging and rewarding endgame content of Path of Exile 2.